


A Simple Plan

by Chaotic_Destinies



Category: The Vampire Diaries & Related Fandoms, The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-23
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:53:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 30,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24878755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chaotic_Destinies/pseuds/Chaotic_Destinies
Summary: AU. Vampires are captured and made pets to humans. Elena's life is in danger. Ric enlists Damon to go undercover as her pet and keep her safe from the Council, who wants her dead. How is he supposed to protect someone who is willing to give up her life to free him? Slow burn. DELENA | TEMPORARY HIATUS
Relationships: Caroline Forbes/Stefan Salvatore, Elena Gilbert/Damon Salvatore
Comments: 12
Kudos: 26





	1. Captured

**Author's Note:**

> What can I say? I have a thing for Damon in captivity. This story is still in progress, but the first ten or so chapters are complete. It'll be shorter than TUBG, but will probably have the same amount of chapters. I intend to update it every Tuesday. I'm also planning a sequel. I hope you guys enjoy!

Vampires had been discovered a century ago. A few dozen humans had found them and outed them to the rest of the world. The next several decades were spent trying to exterminate them, but no matter how hard the humans tried, they couldn't seem to rid the world of the infestation. In the 1980's, a group of humans had gotten together to try to figure out a way to get the vampires under control. A council was created in order to handle human-vampire relations. They knew vervain was a weakness, so they started distributing it to as many humans as they could. Vampires were caught and captured, and some of the people on the council came up with the idea of making them pets, keeping them under the watchful eye of their humans. They couldn't reproduce, so there was no concern of humans getting pregnant by them if they used them for sex, which became quite common. The council agreed to this and decided that a small amount of human blood per day could be provided to a vampire pet, enough to keep them from desiccating and strong enough for their duties.

Damon Salvatore had been on the run since the council had mandated that vampires were to be rounded up. Don't get him wrong, he loved a good romp as much as anyone, but he had no desire to be at a human's beck and call, to have to please them and do whatever they said. He would rather burn up in the sun then be forced to be a human's bitch. Still, after thirty years, he was starting to get sloppy. They were closer on his trail than they ever had been. He knew how close when the vervain rope lassoed itself around his neck, burning him and causing him to scream. Someone came up behind him and twisted his head, breaking his neck and knocking him out.

When he woke up, he could hear water dripping. It took a few minutes for him to get his bearings, and he realized that he was locked in a cell. He got up and went over to the bars, looking out. There was a whole line of cells, all with miserable-looking vampires inside. He decided to test the bars, and sure enough, they were covered in vervain. He hissed and took his hands off, then went over to the worn-out cot.

* * *

Elena Gilbert had been an honorary member of the Council that oversaw human-vampire relations in Mystic Falls since she was sixteen. Her parents had perished in an accident and her Uncle John was nowhere to be found. She was the next Gilbert in line to take on a role on the council, and she had done so reluctantly, becoming an official member when she turned eighteen. She hadn't really wanted anything to do with vampires, but Liz Forbes and Alaric Saltzman had talked her into joining, saying that her reluctance to deal with them made her a perfect fit for the role.

Now they were pushing something else she didn't want onto her. She had refused to take any vampires for herself, but the Council wanted her to learn what they were like face to face and how to handle them. Despite her protests, they had told her that they had a vampire that they wanted to give to her. Sometimes it felt as if they let her have no life, no choice of her own. It was as if the council came above all else. She knew they believed they did.

"We've finally caught Damon Salvatore," Liz said excitedly. "I think he'd be good for Elena. My Caroline already has his brother."

"How many times do I have to tell you that I have no interest in keeping a vampire?" Elena tried to protest.

"Elena, this is a necessity. You need to learn how to handle them, and the best way to do that is the hands-on approach," Ric replied.

"Fine," she huffed. "But don't expect me to like this."

* * *

"Looks like you got lucky, Salvatore. A human already took interest in you," one of the guards said as he approached his cell. Damon had been there for several days now, and they had subjected him to different kinds of torture while he was under their _care_. He felt relief, knowing that if his stay had been long enough, that these people could rival the Augustine Society. He had heard horror stories from other vampires throughout the years, ones who had somehow managed to get free. He was glad that Ric's plan had been set in motion this quickly.

He got up from his cot, walking over to the bars. His new caretaker was being escorted by the guard, and he wanted to get a good look at her. When his eyes fell on her, they widened in shock.

"Katherine," he breathed.

"No, I'm Elena."

"Elena," he repeated. She was a dead ringer for Katherine, with her brown hair, dark eyes, and olive skin. He knew she was a doppelganger, but still, the resemblance was eerie. He looked down at her, a disarming smile on his face.

"If you resist, we'll inject you with vervain," the guard stated, showing him a needle.

He unlocked his cell, entered, and using vervain rope, started to tie his wrists. She watched in horror as burns appeared on his skin and he hissed. He then placed a muzzle on him, using a padlock to secure it in the back. Well, he thought, this was irritating. He was being treated like a vicious dog.

"Stop it," she said. "I highly doubt he's that much of threat."

She regretted that statement almost immediately. He had a dangerous look in his eyes, one that said he wanted to tear her limb from limb for daring to own him, daring to take his freedom away. The guard shook his head.

"Ric's orders," he stated. "This one can be extremely dangerous; you don't want him unsecured."

That didn't make sense to Elena. Why would The Council want her to take on a vampire that was considered deadly as her first? They were all deadly, but it sounded like this one was considered especially dangerous. She was immediately pulled from her thoughts when Damon was pushed right in front of her. Even with a muzzle on and his wrists secured behind his back, she found him intimidating, and she knew he could tell.

 _What a sadistic prick_ , he grinned to himself. Ric was playing this well, and he understood that they had make it look genuine. The vervain burned like a bitch, and he silently cursed his old buddy. He was led out to her car by a vervain rope that was noosed around his neck. Opening the door, she helped him in, then got in the driver's seat. The entire way home, he kept his eyes on her, trying to make her feel as uncomfortable as he possibly could. He knew he was succeeding when she shifted in her seat a few times.

"Here it is," she said softly as they pulled up to a large white house. Damon looked up and immediately recognized where they were. That was the Gilbert house.

Elena came around to his side and opened the door, grabbing the lead to the rope that was tied around his neck and using it to coax him into the house, remembering to invite him in at the threshold. Bonnie had already been by to put a sealing spell up so that he would be unable to leave once he was inside. She was grateful to have a witch friend who could help her with such an awkward situation.

Bonnie was another one that didn't like vampires, but also wanted nothing to do with keeping them. When she had asked Elena why she had agreed to this, she had told her that she had no choice. The Council had forced it on her, and they had told her that they wanted her to take Damon Salvatore. She hadn't known the name, but Bonnie did, and she had been able to tell that her best friend was worried for her.

She led him into the house and removed the vervain ropes from his neck and wrists. He continued to watch her, making her feel more and more like she was on show with each passing moment. Finally, she took the key out and unlocked the padlock, then removed the muzzle. He was immediately grinning at her, and she found it alarming. The veins below his eyes popped as he smelled her blood and the whites of his eyes turned red. He was upon her in a blink, sinking his teeth into her neck, only to pull them out with a cry of pain.

"Are you stupid?" she asked as she held her neck in pain. "Don't you know most humans ingest vervain?"

"I do now," he replied, slightly hoarse from his throat having been burned. "Bitch!"

"You attacked me!"

"You deserved it!"

"For what!? What did I do!?"

"You know exactly what you did," he replied with a sneer.

"No, I really don't, so please, enlighten me."

"You're trying to take away my freedom, which I very much happen to like!"

"Oh, please," she rolled her eyes. "Like I wanted this!"

"You…! Wait. What?"

"I didn't want anything to do with keeping a vampire. The Council didn't give me a say in the matter!"

Damon looked taken aback at that. He knew that this was part of Ric's plan, but he had assumed that all humans were the same, that they were all looking to turn vampires into their own personal pets. This was a development he hadn't foreseen, and he suddenly found himself curious. This human didn't want a vampire of her own?

"Like I'm going to believe that," he replied, rolling his eyes as he rounded on her. She backed into the kitchen and grabbed a marble rolling pin. He raised an eyebrow at her, then smirked.

"Don't you know anything little girl?"

"I'm not a little girl," she yelled as she swung the rolling pin and missed, hitting a cabinet.

"I best be on my way. No time for childish games!"

He flashed to the front door, but let out a very convincing groan, pretending he didn't know he had been sealed in. He knew that was standard practice for humans who took on vampires, and it wasn't surprising that she would have taken extra precautions. He knew that Ric and Liz had made sure she was aware of how dangerous he could be.

"You're wasting your time," she called from the kitchen.

"Well, I could just snap your neck," he replied as he flashed back into the kitchen and cornered her once more.

"Go for it," Elena replied with a shrug. "But if you do, the Council will kill you and Stefan."

"Like I care. Better dead than in the service of a human," he said as he reached up, putting two hands on her pretty face. He could see the fear in her eyes, but there was also defiance. She was daring him to do it, and he was oh so tempted. However, he stopped, putting his hands down and glaring at her.

"Let me go," he said through gritted teeth.

"Look Mr. Salvatore, I'd like nothing more than to do so, but the Council has already made it perfectly clear that I'm to keep you alive and in my house. There's more at stake than just your life if I don't obey."

_Mr. Salvatore? What kind of fucking human was this girl?_

"The house has plenty of rooms. Here, follow me," she said as she headed for the staircase and ascended the stairs. Damon folded his arms and watched her from the kitchen. She looked back at him and shrugged, continuing up to the top. When she was one step from the landing, he flashed right in front of her and she lost her footing, falling backwards. Damon was behind her in an instant, and he caught her.

"Huh, didn't think you had it in you," she said with a relieved sigh.

"You should be more careful clumsy," he replied. Once she was steady on her feet, he flashed back to the landing and waited for her. She met him up there and opened the door to the guest bedroom.

"This is where you'll sleep," Elena said as she gestured at the doorway. He looked at the room, then at her.

"You don't want me sleeping in your bed?"

"Goodness, no! I like my privacy, thank you. My bedroom is over here. Please stay out of it."

He grinned, armed now with a way to annoy her. She opened the door, gesturing to her room. It had been a long night. She had no idea how she was going to handle having a vampire in the house. She had never thought that she would be stuck in a situation like this, and she was still rather unhappy about being forced into it.

"I'm going to bed," she said, yawning as if on cue. She waved to him and walked into her bedroom, shutting the door.

Damon watched as she took her leave, then looked at the guest bedroom. He thought for a bit about this sudden turn of events, and he had to admit that he was a little curious. He knew he couldn't snap her neck, and he had caught her when she started to fall down the stairs so she wouldn't get hurt. Still, even though it was part of the plan, he was angry about being stuck here like a prisoner, sealed into the house. There was no way that he was going to make this easy on her.


	2. Antagonization

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's Tuesday, and you all know what that means! Thank you to all who have reviewed, favorited, and followed this story. The support for both this one and TUBG have been incredible, and I'm happy to know that so many people are enjoying my writing. You guys make my day better. I'm working to get this fanfic finished, and then I'll be starting a new one with a premise I'm really excited for! Anyways, onward!

Elena groaned when her alarm went off the next morning. She hated having to get up early after council meetings, but she had a packed schedule today and she needed to get a head start. She turned over and her arm fell onto something warm and soft. Her eyes flew open and she snapped her head up to see Damon next to her on the bed in nothing but boxers.

"Rise and shine sleepy head."

"Ah! What are you doing? Get out!"

"You know you were dreaming about me. Explains the drool."

"6am? Seriously? Do you really have nothing better to do at 6am?"

"Now now, no need to be so hostile. You're quite the cuddler when you're asleep."

"What!? Get out!"

Damon laughed at her reaction, amused that she was so easy to get riled up. The truth was that he had only been in there for the past ten minutes, but he decided he might as well tease her while he was at it and make her think they had cuddled all night. She grabbed a pillow and attempted to hit him with it, but he caught it and threw it. He inched closer to her, giving her a predatory gaze.

"Careful," he whispered. "Don't forget that I could kill you in a second."

"So why haven't you?"

He couldn't answer that. Killing her would be counterproductive considering that he was supposed to protect her. He had to be mindful of his murderous instincts if he was going to make this work. He couldn't let her in on what was going on either. Right now, only those who had a need-to-know were aware of the plan. Elena was not at that point yet. Ric would inform Damon when it was time to fill her in.

"Whatever. I'm going to take a shower," Elena said as she got up. Damon observed her for a moment before blurring into the doorway and blocking her exit.

"What's the matter, can't handle the heat?"

"Move," she said between gritted teeth.

"Make me," he whispered in her ear. She shivered and he grinned.

Elena put a hand on each of his shoulders and pushed. She knew that vampires were ridiculously strong and that she would be no match for him. His grin grew, but he moved to the side, causing her to stumble forward before regaining her footing.

"Jerk!"

"Don't worry," he said, rolling his eyes. "I won't make your life _too_ difficult. I wouldn't want you to go jumping out a window now, would I?"

" _Wouldn't you?_ "

"That's for me to know and you to… dot, dot, dot."

She rolled her eyes, irritated by his weird humor and his lack of respect for personal boundaries. _You are the one forcing him to stay in your house_ , a little voice reminded her. She closed her eyes and shook her head. That train of thought couldn't be allowed to continue, or it might get them both into trouble. If she hadn't agreed to this, there was a good chance that they would kill this vampire because of how dangerous he was. She was still uncertain about why they weren't doing so in the first place. The looming threats over Jeremy and Stefan also crossed her mind.

Elena turned on the shower and hopped in, sighing as the warm water ran down her backside. She ran her fingers through her hair, a content look on her face. As she went to grab the shampoo, the water ran completely cold and she screamed from the sudden change in temperature. She grabbed a towel and exited the shower, then the bathroom, knowing already what had happened.

"Salvatore!" she yelled. "You turned off the hot water, you ass!"

"Mm, speaking of asses, you have a nice one," he said as he came up behind her.

"What the hell's your problem!?"

"You are, Miss Pretend-to-be-Sweet-and-Innocent. I don't want to be cooped up here, and it's obvious that you don't want me here. Why not let me go?"

"Because of what they're threatening to do to my brother, yours, and you if I don't find a way to make this work," she replied, looking away from him.

"I don't care about Stefan. Let them kill him. I'll be fine on my own."

"Well I _do_ care about Jeremy. He's my family, the only family I have left. I can't let anything happen to him," she said, now biting her lip and looking anywhere but at Damon. He was watching her with a stoic expression, making it impossible to tell what he might be thinking. Finally, he turned around and went into his room, slamming the door.

"The hot water's still off!" she yelled after him.

"It's not my problem!" he replied through the door.

Elena had no idea how to turn the hot water back on, and she didn't have time to try and figure it out, so she ended up going without a shower that day. She couldn't believe how difficult this vampire was being, or the fact that she was now stuck with him. She also had a hard time believing that he didn't care if his brother died. Were all vampires heartless monsters, or was it just a show?

When she got home, she heard the water running upstairs and headed for the bathroom. She pushed open the door to see Damon standing there with his shirt off, holding his belt in his hand. He furrowed his brow at her when she barged in on him, then continued to work on getting his pants off.

"You staying for the show or…?"

"Ugh," she replied, turning around and exiting the bathroom.

"By the way, seeing as I can't drink your blood, got anything I _can_ drink?"

She had almost forgotten that he needed blood to survive. She went downstairs and looked in the fridge which Ric had stocked with blood bags for the vampire. She grabbed one and brought it back up, opened the bathroom door, and threw it, hoping she would hit him. She knew she was successful when she heard the bag make contact with his skin.

"So hostile," he said loudly, then sank his teeth into the blood bag.

"That's your fault," she replied and went into her room. He was absolutely infuriating. She wanted to get payback for him having turned off the hot water earlier, but she had no idea how to. The only thing she could think of was to lace the water with vervain, and after seeing how badly it had burned him, she would never do that.

* * *

A month went by, and Elena found herself getting used to his antagonism. It had almost become like a game, seeing how much she could take before he finally pushed her over the edge. She had yet to retaliate because she had no idea what she could do without hurting him. Instead, she let him get away with being a pain in her ass. To be honest, in some ways, she almost found it endearing. It didn't help that he wasn't bad to look at either.

She wondered if all vampires were attractive. Perhaps that was part of the allure. His killer eyes could draw anyone in, his dashing good looks would be enough to set them at ease. That gorgeous voice of his could whisper promises to them, ones that he didn't intend to keep before the beast within was revealed. Elena had seen his true nature when he had first come here. She had found it frightening, but also fascinating. To say she didn't sneak a peek when he was feeding from time to time would be a lie.

Damon was restless at first, and while that was still the case, he did eventually find himself settling into his new home. Maybe a little, at least. Elena wasn't around much, which granted him the freedom to do whatever he wanted around the house. Even when she was home, she didn't really bother with him. He also couldn't help but get on her nerves when she was there. He had discovered tons of little ways to annoy her, from clogging the garbage disposal to rigging the front door so she couldn't get out. No matter how much he tried to make her angry though, she refused to hurt him, and he couldn't understand why. It wasn't like she didn't know how.

Humans were also notoriously curious. He knew that sometimes she watched him feed, though he pretended he had no idea she was there. She was naïve when it came to vampires and apparently didn't realize that he could both smell and hear her. He had wondered what it was about this particular action that had her so interested. Too bad she was on vervain. He would love to taste her blood again.

Something about her had him stumped. She was reluctant to take him on, so she claimed, but she refused to let him go, even though he had done everything in his power to make her life as difficult as possible. Was it as simple as not wanting her family to die? She had mentioned that her brother was all she had left. He could relate, though it had been a decade and a half since he had last talked to his own flesh and blood.

When she wasn't around, he read her diary, and when she was, he would listen in on anything that she talked about with other people on the phone. Getting to know her would make it easier to find weaknesses that others might try to exploit. So far, one of the biggest ones he had picked up on was how much she cared about others. She was one of the most compassionate humans he'd ever met. Next time her brother stopped by; he was going to snap his neck. It was part of the plan that Ric and he had put into action. Jeremy was already aware but promised he could play it cool.

* * *

The founding families of Mystic Falls all appeared at the Lockwood Manor at approximately the same time. They were throwing a party because that was simply what they did whenever they needed a cover story. Only those aware that there was a council were privy to that information, but unless a person was a founding family member, they were usually not allowed on it. The Founder's Council answered to the several other Councils that were higher in rank, but those ones had once taken their queue from them because Mystic Falls had been dealing with vampires longer than almost anywhere else, so they operated much the same way.

Liz Forbes, Alaric Saltzman, and Tyler Lockwood were just a few of the members. There was also a representative of the Fell family, Meredith, and normally there would have been someone there from the Gilbert family, but tonight's business was about them. The Council couldn't have either child find out about their plans for them. They needed to keep this secret, and so this rendezvous hadn't been revealed to Elena or Jeremy. Normally Council meetings were once a month, but they had set up a second one that month to ensure that they could plot as needed.

"The doppelganger needs to die," said Pastor Young, who always got straight to the point.

"I agree," Alaric replied, nodding. "If she's allowed to live, then Klaus can break his curse. He'll become too powerful and we won't be able to take him out."

"Damon Salvatore has been placed with her in hopes that his temper will get the better of him and he'll do us the honors," Liz said with a nod. "When that happens, we can put him to death, effectively killing two birds with one stone. He won't last long in captivity."

"If Damon Salvatore does kill her, then he'll be subjected to death by fire. He's a powerful vampire and having him out of the way wouldn't hurt. Can we count on this plan to work?" the Pastor questioned.

"We always have a backup plan, you know that. This is plan A. Elijah Mikaelson is plan B. He wants his sister freed, and he's willing to do almost anything to see that happen."

"Getting Elena out of the way gives us better access to Jeremy," Pastor Young stated.

"And his ring," Alaric added on.

The Council members talked amongst themselves for an hour, coming up with a plan C and a plan D, just in case both vampires failed to make good. After all, the bloodsuckers couldn't really be trusted, no matter how they might pretend. Once they felt that they had a thorough grasp of what to do should both Damon and Elijah fail, they dispersed, feeling confident that before the month was out, the doppelganger would die at the hands of the elder Salvatore brother.

Ric headed home, unable to believe that he had been able to keep his cool. He knew that he needed to play this right. Elena's life was in jeopardy, and he couldn't stand by while the Council plotted her demise. He had easily infiltrated it months before, knowing that something big was going on and needing to be able to get a better idea of what. They had welcomed him despite their typical exclusivity and snobby attitude toward anyone who wasn't a descendant of a founder because of the information he could provide. He was close with the Gilberts, but it was easy enough to pretend that he had only gotten close to them so that he could use them for his own benefit. His relationship to them made it easier for him to get the council to accept him. He had information about them that no one else did.

Once he was safe at home, he knew what he needed to do next. The information that he had been given tonight would be important. Planting Damon with Elena had been an idea that Liz and he had brainstormed together. He was one of the most powerful vampires known to exist, and he would keep her safe. He owed Alaric for the numerous tips he'd passed along when there were going to be raids, and even if Damon had loose morals, he still had some sense of honor. He needed to fill the vampire in on what was happening. He dialed the number, waiting to hear the line connect.

"Damon," he greeted.

"Ric, it's good to hear your voice."

"I know you just got there, but how are things going?"

"Swell. Tonight's the night that Jeremy comes over."

"Do you remember the plan?"

"Of course I do. You know how pissed off she's going to be though?"

"It's Elena. She wouldn't do anything rash. That's not her style."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's the chapter! Feel free to let me know your thoughts with a review, and thank you again for your support.


	3. Desiccation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys. GUYS. I missed my damn deadline! This was supposed to be posted yesterday, and I just realized it when I woke up this morning. I'm so sorry to those of you that might have been looking for a new chapter! I have no reasons or excuses, simply a million apologies and a lot of groveling. I am so sorry! Thank you to all of you who had bookmarked, commented, and left kudos. Your support means the world to me!

When Damon had originally thought about killing Jeremy, it had seemed like a good idea. Now he was feeling a little reluctant, knowing how much this was going to hurt her, even if Jeremy wouldn't stay dead. She ordered them dinner, not having been one to really cook. She always made sure even though Damon had blood bags that he got real food to eat as well. His mind flashed back to one of their first truly civil conversations.

***

" _How can you even eat if technically you're supposed to be…?"_

"… _Dead? It's not such a bad word. As long as I keep a healthy diet of blood in my system, my body functions pretty normally."_

" _This nice act, is any of it real?"_

" _Mhm. I guess you'll just have to stay tuned to find out."_

_***_

Jeremy arrived along with the takeout they had ordered, and they sat down to dinner. He and Elena ate and talked while Damon mostly just observed. It reminded him of a time when he had been close with his own brother. When dinner was over, Damon blurred behind Jeremy's chair, surprising Elena.

"Damon, what are you…?"

"Did you know that when you're a vampire, you can turn off your humanity. You don't have to feel any emotions. It's just like a switch. You flip it and _snap!"_ As he said snap, he grabbed Jeremy's head and twisting it, breaking his neck.

" _Jeremy, no!"_ Elena screamed, rushing over to him. She pulled him close, her face scrunched up as she held him. She patted his hair, the tears coming fast, and the look of hatred she gave Damon sent chills down his spine. He had never cared about a human before, but somehow, he felt guilty. He wiped the feeling away, glaring down at her.

" _That,"_ he stated, "is what happens when you keep a vampire prisoner. I'll be in my room."

She sat there, holding Jeremy. She was all alone now. Her last family member was dead. Her little brother, who had never done anything to hurt anyone, had been killed by a murderous vampire that she had been forced to allow into her home. She wondered what the Council's policy was on killing vampires. There was no way she was going to allow Damon to live after what he had just done.

While seated on the kitchen floor, the tears wouldn't stop falling. She couldn't remember having ever felt this alone, not even when her parents had died. As she held him, suddenly he took a deep breath. He started panicking in her arms and she looked down, amazed at what she was seeing. She held him close, working hard to get him to calm down.

"Jer," she said softly, fresh tears falling.

"'Lena. What happened?"

"You were dead," she whispered. "Damon killed you."

* * *

Damon was up in his bedroom, staring angrily out the window. What was happening? The way she had looked at him in that moment was getting to him, but he didn't understand why. She was a silly human so why would he feel guilty? Yet he did, and he couldn't figure out how she had managed to get under his skin after only a month. After a moment brooding at the window, something caught his ears.

" _Jer," she said softly, fresh tears falling._

"' _Lena. What happened?"_

" _You were dead," she whispered. "Damon killed you."_

The resurrection ring had worked, and he felt relief as he heard the humans talking softly to each other. He headed downstairs, keeping his footsteps soft as he went into the kitchen, not wanting to draw too much attention to himself. Apparently, they could feel his presence because they both looked up at him. Elena's expression was full of hatred while Jeremy's was full of fear. Yep, the kid was good.

"How the hell?" Damon growled.

"See this ring," Jeremy said, indicating a big, gaudy looking ring on his finger. "It's a resurrection ring. If I'm wearing it, I can't die. Dick."

Damon grabbed his hand, examining it. Elena was on her feet in an instant, and the look in her eyes was one that could kill. He grinned at her, a false grin to hide the guilt he was feeling at hurting her. He didn't expect what happened next. As he grinned, she was next to him in a flash, and he felt the sting of a needle sticking into his neck. With that, he blacked out.

Damon woke up confused. It took some time for him to figure out where he was. The vervain must have finally run its course through his body. He looked around and realized that he was in his bedroom in Elena's house, and he groaned. He went to move an arm but realized he couldn't. As a matter of fact, something was burning his wrists. He looked up and found that his wrists were tied to the headboard with vervain ropes.

He hissed at the burning sensation, but he knew that there was no way in hell that she was going to undo the ropes. After a moment, he became aware of something on his face. The muzzle was back in place and locked on. He looked over and his eyes caught her sitting in a chair, reading. He wondered if she had been there the entire time that he had been unconscious. Probably.

"Good, you're awake. So, here's the deal. I really don't think killing you is a good idea. Something tells me that there might be some repercussions from the Council if I do. I thought about selling you to bounty hunters, but chances are that they'll just kill you, so we're back to square one. Instead, I'm going to let you desiccate. You'll dry out here, and you'll never taste another drop of blood again."

She could see the fear in his eyes as he listened to her words. Not only would he be too weak to fight off any attempts on their lives, he would be too weak to even move. He'd never been through the process of desiccation before, but he knew from what other vampires told him that it was painful at first. His veins would rub together like sandpaper, trying to pump every ounce of blood until there was none left. He couldn't speak against the muzzle, but he didn't need to for her to know what he was thinking. The look she gave him was one of pity.

"You brought this on yourself, you know. I was hoping that we might become friends."

* * *

She didn't know a ton about the process of desiccation, but she was certain it was painful. She would check in on Damon at least once a day, and she had to say it looked uncomfortable at best. Pangs of guilt often made her feel that she should remove the muzzle and give him the blood he needed, but she also kept remembering what he had done to Jeremy, and it was enough for those pangs of guilt to fade at first.

Finally, at four weeks, she decided she couldn't take it anymore. He looked so weak, his handsome face was withering away, and his once bright blue eyes looked nearly dead. He watched her as she undid the muzzle that she had placed on him. Next, she removed the vervain ropes, and he wondered if she no longer deemed him a threat. His eyes lit up slightly when she held up the blood bag. She was going to feed him. What had happened to letting him desiccate? She grabbed a tube and placed it in like a straw, then held it to his mouth. He watched her suspiciously. This could be a trap. Perhaps she had laced the blood with vervain. Damon was desperate for a drink, and while he didn't trust her, he couldn't stop the thirst from taking over. He began to suck the blood through the tube. Once he determined that it wasn't laced, he drank it even faster. She watched as his skin returned to normal and the light came back into his eyes.

"I thought you were going to let me dry out," he said, feeling the strength slowly returning to his body.

"I couldn't do it. I'm not a sadistic prick like you."

He didn't know why, but those words bothered him. He didn't want her to see him that way. He rubbed his burned wrists, the marks now healing. He sat up slowly and looked at her, unable to understand why she was allowing him to return to his normal state. After what he had done, he had thought for certain that she would let him wither away, but she had been unable to do so. This human was incredibly confusing to him.

"I have a second bag. Here." She took the tube from the first and placed it in the second. He took it drank it in what had to be record time.

"Thank you," he said quietly.

"Do you need more?"

"That's fine for now."

"I'm sorry Damon," she said, unable to look at him. What the hell was she apologizing for?

"It's fine," he said, shaking his head. "If anyone owes an apology, it's me to you. I'm sorry for killing your brother, and I'm glad that it didn't stick. I got lucky with the ring," he partially lied.

She leaned forward and hugged him, surprising him. He hesitated a moment and hugged her back, still confused, but willing to accept the current situation. He felt her hand rubbing his back, and he was even more puzzled. Was this human comforting him? Why would she do something like that? She was a conundrum, a problem he had yet to solve, but her hand on his back felt almost good, almost as if it were right.

"Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?" he found himself asking before he knew the words were escaping his mouth.

"No. I think we're even. I didn't realize how awful watching you desiccate would be. I can't imagine how it must have felt."

He chuckled.

"You're a human. You'll never have to worry about that."

"What were you like as a human?"

Damon was surprised by that question. He pulled away from the hug and looked at her. Not many people had asked him that, and it shocked him that anyone would be interested. He thought back to when he had been turned in 1864, remembering how it was when he had been close with Stefan. He remembered how lovestruck he had been by Katherine. He had become a vampire for her, and then she had broken his heart.

"As a human I was sweet and polite, but also weak and naïve. I fell in love with a woman who didn't love me, but I didn't find out until after I turned."

"I'm sorry," she replied.

"Stop apologizing," he said, feeling uncomfortable at her need to console him. He didn't need anyone's help or pity over what he had been through. His past was what had turned him into the powerful vampire he was. He had accepted long ago that he had been foolish both in his youth as a human and as a vampire. He had spent nearly a century and a half pining for someone who never loved him and searching for her had been a fool's errand. There was no need to dwell on what he had lost.

As he sat there, lost in his thoughts, he felt arms wrap around him once more, and he was shocked when he was being pulled into a second hug. _Humans_ , he thought to himself irritably as Elena embraced him. He had to admit that it felt kind of nice to be in her arms, but that was something he would never say out loud. He felt confusion at his own thoughts and wondered if perhaps there was more to it than he realized. He wasn't one for emotions though, so he shrugged it away, locking it up and deciding to examine it later.

"I don't know about you, but this is starting to feel awkward," he quipped, and Elena pulled away, her cheeks slightly flushed. Was she blushing? He grinned to himself as he looked down at her.

"Sorry," she said again, and he rolled his eyes. She needed to stop apologizing for every little thing she did.

"Whatever," he replied, brushing off her apology. "I promise I'll try to be a better houseguest this time around. I don't really feel like reliving this experience. Once is bad enough.

"Sor…"

He put a finger up to her lips, stopping her apology before she could finish it. Did this girl have a guilty conscience or what? Why was she even apologizing to him anyways? She had been mostly right when she had told him that he had brought this on himself. Why did she feel the need to apologize for retaliating when he had been the one in the wrong, even if what he had done had been planned all along?

"You need to stop saying sorry for every little thing. And don't apologize for apologizing," he stated quickly when she went to say sorry _again._

"I need to you to forgive me," she said softly, and he gave her a puzzled look. "I wish that you weren't stuck here. I can't imagine what it's like not being able to leave the house."

"Feels a bit like being a caged animal," he said, raising a brow. "I mean, it's nice not to be stuck behind bars and have a little more freedom to move, but it's not that much different."

He watched as she bit her lip. It was clear that the gears were turning in her head, and he wondered what she was thinking. He watched her as she chewed on it, a faraway look in her eyes. What was on her mind? Was she thinking about what he had just said? The human had no sense of what it was like to be trapped, but she seemed to sympathize with him at the very least.

"I have an idea," she said softly. He looked up at her, his brow furrowed. "Witches can tether people together. A lot of vampires are tethered to their humans so they can't go too far, but it gives them a little more freedom and autonomy than being sealed in a house."

"Tch, in your dreams," Damon said, rolling his eyes. She didn't respond to him, but just nodded, her expression blank. She was trying to offer him a compromise, but he wasn't willing to be treated like a dog on a leash. He knew how tethering worked. If he was too far away from her, he would practically be dragged by an invisible rope until he was within the allotted distance that the spell specified. There was no way he was going to agree to that.

"Have it your way," she said softly. "I was trying to find a way to meet you in the middle, but if you're unwilling, I can't force you to do anything."

Now he looked at her skeptically.

"In case you haven't noticed, you're already keeping me against my will."

"I don't have a choice," she said even more quietly. Before he could say anything else to her, she stood up and left the room. He watched as she retreated, shutting the door behind her. The feeling of loneliness that her absence left behind had him wondering what was wrong with him. He sat there for a while, alone with his thoughts, trying to figure out why she had this strange effect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's the chapter folks. Feel free to let me know what you thought with a comment! There will be an update on Tuesday next week. See you then!


	4. Annoyance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What? A new chapter? And it's one time? Say it isn't so! I know you guys have a lot of questions, and they will be answered with time. Thank you to all who have bookmarked, commented, and left kudos. Your support means the world to me. Now, onto the chapter!

God, he was infuriating. She had thought that they were finally making some progress for a moment there, and then he'd shown that he was just pulling her strings. For once she thought without guilt that perhaps she should have continued to let him dry out, but she knew that even if she didn't feel the least bit bad about that thought now, eventually it would get to her. Watching him wither away into nothing had been painful to watch, which was why she had been unable to follow through on her threat.

She wanted to allow him outside of the house, knowing that if it were her trapped in here, she would have gone insane by now. Instead of seeing her suggestion as a peace offering, she could tell that he had taken offense to it, and it bothered her. Why did he have to be so difficult? He knew that she wasn't keeping him here because she wanted to. Or did she? Suddenly, the thought of not having Damon around seemed foreign to her. Still, something in her wanted to set him free. Maybe… no, she couldn't. She would be risking too many other lives if she did. Still, holding him captive hardly seemed fair. She needed to come up with a solution.

That night, they ate together in silence. She had told Damon she was ordering food, and as much as he didn't want to be around her right now, the idea had enticed him enough to get him to come out of his room. Elena was usually very talkative and animated whenever she was in someone's presence, but she wouldn't make eye contact with him, nor did she say much. He was confused by this sudden change; it was as if a switch had been flipped and she was a different person.

"Food's good," he said, trying to strike up a conversation. The quiet was putting him on edge. All he got in return was as grunt. He frowned at her, then decided to ask the million-dollar question, not that he thought he'd get a real answer.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she whispered so quietly that if he didn't have super hearing, he would have missed it.

"Bullshit," he growled back, regretting his tone almost immediately when he saw her cringe.

"I'm trying to figure out how to free you," she said with just a little more volume. He stared at her, absolutely shocked by that admission. He'd thought that those pretty little words about how she didn't want a vampire of her own had been for show to get him to soften up towards her. Was he right? Was this just another part of her ploy to make him more agreeable? He had his doubts about her intent, but they faded as he watched her. She seemed genuinely bothered, and he couldn't help but believe that she was telling him the truth.

"And why would you want to do that?" he asked curiously, though with a little more force than he meant to.

"Because you're right. It's not fair that I'm keeping you prisoner. I thought the tethering idea would give you a little more freedom but that was a temporary solution to a bigger problem. I'm sorry for suggesting it. I need some time to figure out how I can ensure Jeremy's safety before I let you go, but once I do, I'll set you free."

Damon stared dumbstruck at her. He hadn't expected their conversation to take this turn, and he had no idea how to respond. It wasn't often that he was speechless, but she had made him so with her admission. He wondered what it was about this girl that had her feeling guilty over the enslavement of a vampire. Vampires were predatory creatures that hunted not only because they needed to feed, but also because they enjoyed it. They killed because even though it was unnecessary, it was fun. Why would a human that would typically be his prey sympathize with her predator? He was intrigued.

"You want to free me," he said, not sure if it was a statement or a question. She just nodded. "Why?"

"Because it's the right thing to do," she said, looking up at him.

"Elena," he breathed, and she stared, surprised to hear her name on his lips. He hadn't addressed her by her first name since the day they had met.

"What?"

He didn't know. A mix of emotions had come over him and he didn't know how to process so many powerful feelings at once. Sometimes being a vampire could be overwhelming. Feelings were far more vivid. Anger became rage, happiness became elation, and love… There was nothing like love as a vampire. It was overpowering to the point that it could lead a vampire to obsess for a century and a half over a single person. Yeah, that was a reference to Katherine. _Bitch_ , he grinned to himself, proud that he had broken her hold over him. He looked up and saw that Elena was giving him an odd stare.

"Something funny?"

"Nothing," he said as his grin faded. "Are you certain that you want to set me free?"

Okay, that was a stupid question, and he had no idea why he was asking it. Elena seemed more than willing to give him his freedom. Perhaps he had played his part a little too well. He was concerned that if she freed him, he would be unable to protect her. Being around once he had his autonomy would be too suspicious, so he had to play this right to ensure that he continued to reside in her house.

There was another emotion he could feel creeping to the surface though, and it further confused him. Sorrow creeped in, almost agonizing, at the idea that she didn't want him. It made no sense because surely, he didn't care about a human. He couldn't, there was no point. Their lives were small, the blink of an eye compared to eternity. So why did the idea of her not wanting him bother him so much? Why did a small part of him hope and wish that she wouldn't be able to find a way to free him?

"And if you aren't able to find a way to keep your brother safe?"

"I'll figure it out," she said, nodding as if she was trying to reassure herself.

"I'm sure you will," he said, sounding amused. If there was one thing he had realized about this girl, it was that she was determined, and she didn't often let obstacles get in her way. He wished he had that kind of drive. Sure, he didn't let obstacles get in his way either, but that was because he could just kill them. She had a much more peaceful way of going about things. It was fascinating to him. Okay, so he was at least a little interested in this strange human girl, but surely it was nothing more than morbid curiosity, right? _Right?_

Damon had a lot to ponder that night. His feelings confused him and even somewhat exhausted him. Having such strong emotions could really drain a vampire, and today had been the most baffling day he'd had in a long time. He laid in bed and stared at the ceiling, thinking about Elena. She looked exactly like Katherine, but that wasn't what drew him to her. There was something warm and comforting about her. If Katherine was ice, then she was hot chocolate. The weird comparison drew a smile to his lips. It fit perfectly.

* * *

Elena had been trying to come up with a way to make good on her promise. She didn't want to get her hopes up about protecting Jeremy, but she knew she needed to find a way to set the vampire free. She had only agreed to take him because of the threat to Jeremy and Stefan. _Shit, Stefan,_ she thought to herself as she realized that she had to find a way to protect him from the wrath of the Council as well. There had to be a way to keep both of their brothers safe, some solution she had yet to think of.

She wondered if Damon truly didn't care about his brother. She knew that she would do anything to protect hers, and it made her wonder why he wouldn't feel the same. Perhaps there was some deep-seated issues that she wasn't aware of between them. Still, if she wasn't going to protect Stefan for Damon's sake, she needed to do so for Caroline's. Those two were madly in love with each other, and she could never forgive herself if she allowed anything to happen to him. She was certain Caroline would never forgive her either.

Perhaps there was someone who could help. She knew of an old vampire, older than any other, who was powerful in more ways than one. He was also kind and moral, if a little impulsive. She wondered if he could help with their situation. Maybe he could also ensure that Damon stayed free and safe. As much as she would never, ever say it out loud, she couldn't stand the thought of him dying, especially if it was her fault. She resolved to speak with someone who she thought might be able to get her in contact with the vampire. Until then, Damon and she would have to suck it up. She wondered what he was doing right now.

* * *

A month passed by and she found that he was just as antagonistic as he had been when he first came here, though he was less vindictive about it. Instead of doing things like shutting the hot water off on her or making it so she couldn't get out of the house, he would intentionally move her things out of the spots she normally put them in. She'd thought several times she'd lost her car keys, then realized they just weren't on their normal hook. Her cell phone had disappeared numerous times, and somehow, he'd managed to crack her code and set the background to a photo of himself. She had changed the code, but she hadn't changed her background. She liked the photo he had taken, and when she wasn't home, she found herself often looking at it. Dare she say that she missed him when she wasn't at the house? She would never live it down if he found out, but it was a risk she was willing to take.

He had also set alarms on her cell phone to go off every ten minutes starting at 4am, which she had found out the hard way. It was annoying, but also somewhat endearing the lengths he went to just to annoy her. Probably her favorite prank he had pulled was when he had held her wallet above her head as she tried to get it from him. They had been ridiculously close. She wasn't that much shorter than him, but his arms were longer, so he had been able to keep it just out of her reach. It had ended with her jumping in such a way that she had landed on him and knocked them both onto the ground. She had immediately apologized and gotten off him in a haste as a blush creeped up her cheeks. She knew he had noticed because he had given her a wicked grin.

She hadn't heard from her contact, and a part of her hoped she wouldn't. They had said that should they be able to get ahold of the vampire she was looking for; they would let her know, but all she had gotten was silence. She didn't want to give up Damon now when they were just starting to find their routine. Having him around felt so normal and she knew once he was gone that the house would feel as if there was something missing, that it would be too empty. She had to continuously remind herself that the right thing to do was to let him go. He deserved his freedom. No one deserved to be trapped in a cage, which was essentially what the house was.

* * *

The night was just like any other. Once she had revived him, he'd decided that he was bored enough to start cooking for them, so he made breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day. Whenever they ate together, she chattered on and on about her life while Damon mostly listened. She had realized early on in his stay that he didn't talk much about himself, but she didn't mind. She could hold a conversation well enough for them both. He would usually nod, sometimes smile, or give her short answers to let her know he was listening. Once they were done, she would do the few dishes that were in the sink.

They had a few hours before bed, and she wondered what kind of mischief he might get into tonight when she turned in. She knew he pulled pranks at night while she was in the bathroom or in her own room, and she would find usually find out what he had gotten into in the morning. They both relaxed on either end of the sofa, leaving the middle cushion between them. Neither of them was ready or willing to admit that they felt something for the other, and this was their way of keeping their distance, even if neither realized the other was doing the same.

Elena took a shower and blow dried her hair before heading to her bedroom for the night. Damon was still downstairs, and she could hear the television. Based on the sounds, she was pretty certain he was watching porn. She blushed and hurried into her room, unable to hide the sound of her pounding heart. She had thought about what it might be like to be with him several times, and recently, she'd had a couple dreams about him. Damn, she needed to get control of herself. She was acting like a lovesick puppy dog.

He was downstairs grinning, able to hear her rapid heartrate and hurried footsteps. She was so easy to fluster, and he found he really enjoyed embarrassing her. _If only he had thought of this sooner_ , he smirked to himself as he watched a rather steamy show on Cinemax. He decided to be a prick and turn up the volume enough that she would be able to hear it upstairs. He heard her footsteps as she headed to the top of the stairs.

"Some of us have things to do and need to sleep," she yelled angrily over the television.

"What's that? I can't hear you," he replied. "Man, do you moan like she does, because if you do…" he trailed off, knowing that she was blushing without even having to see her.

"Turn it down Damon!"

"Or what?"

"Or I'll use the vervain ropes on you!"

"Why, Elena, have you been inspired by the racy program I'm watching. That's almost exactly what they're doing."

"Damon," she replied, a warning in her voice.

"Fine," he said and finally turned the volume down. He heard her footsteps retreating and turned his attention back to the television. Getting her flustered was so much fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's the chapter folks. I know, not much for answers yet, but we are getting there, and we will get to see why Damon chose not to let Elena in on what's going on. Feel free to let me know your thoughts with a comment!


	5. Salvatore (Savior)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, I'm back with an update as promised! Thank you to all who have commented, bookmarked, and left kudos. Your support for this story means the world to me.

That night, he heard something that sounded out of the ordinary. He had been sleeping well when there was a crash. He wondered what it could be and honed his vampire hearing in on downstairs, but there was silence. He could have sworn that was where the noise had come from, yet he didn't hear anything else. It took a moment for Elena's muffled screams to reach him. He was out of bed and in her room in a flash. There were two men there, one holding her down and covering her mouth while the other was starting to undo his pants. Damon growled, sounding like a wild animal, and their eyes caught him.

"Shit, you didn't tell me she lived with a man," one of them said, and the other shook his head.

"I've never seen him come in or out of the house," he replied.

"If you value your lives, you'll leave now," Damon said lowly while Elena looked at him, her expression fearful.

"Last I checked, there's two of us and one of you, buddy," the one on top of her replied.

Damon grinned. He was so hoping they would make this easy for him, and that was exactly what they had just done. He glanced at her, doing his best to give her a reassuring look before his true nature came out. He grinned and his fangs showed now. The man who had been holding her down fell back wide-eyed, while the other just stared in shock. He could almost guarantee that these two were too stupid to be on vervain, and he decided to take a chance.

Damon grabbed the one that was on top of her and bit into his neck, the veins under his eyes shuddering as he drank the man dry. Once he was finished, he removed his fangs and let go, letting the man fall to the ground. The other man was watching him, and as he approached him, he tried to move, but his back hit the wall. Damon grabbed him and tore into him, sucking him dry as well. Once he was done, he licked the blood off his fangs and from around his lips, using his sleeve to wipe away what was left.

It was far from the first time Elena had seen him "vamped out", as she had started calling it, but now she stood up and moved over to him, touching the veins under his eyes. He let out a low growl at her, though it wasn't threatening like the one he had made before he had torn the two intruders apart. The only word she could think of to describe it was wanting. He looked at her, then at the two men who now lay dead in her bedroom. He hadn't thought about what he was doing before he had come into her room; he had simply acted on instinct.

After a moment in silence which felt like an eternity, he felt her arms wrap around him. She put her head on his shoulder, and her neck was dangerously close to his fangs. He wanted so badly to bite into her, to taste her blood, but he suppressed the desire, not wanting to hurt her. He hugged her back, holding her tight. He had been fast enough that they hadn't even gotten her shorts off yet, and he felt relief. He didn't know if he could live with himself if she had gotten hurt.

 _There it was again_ , he thought to himself. It was that unexplainable feeling that he had experienced before. He felt sorrow and rage mix at the idea that someone had tried to hurt Elena, but he also felt… warm? She was hugging him, that must be why. However, when she pulled away, the warmth within him didn't go away. He looked down at her, placing a palm on her cheek.

"Are you all right?"

"Thanks to you," she replied with a nod.

She was shocked when he pulled her back to him. He held her tight, unable to express his gratitude that she hadn't been hurt in any other way. He kept replaying the scene over and over in his head. What if he had still been desiccating, or if she had set him free and he hadn't been there? What if he hadn't had his vampire hearing and hadn't been able to hear her muffled screams? All the possible scenarios in which he didn't save her flowed through his head and floated in front of his vision. He closed his eyes and buried his face in her hair. She was here and she was okay. That was what he needed to hold onto.

Elena was surprised. She knew how she felt about Damon, but she had figured that her feelings were one-sided. He was annoyed about being stuck inside her house with her like a common house pet, he had made that much clear to her over the few months he had been here. Why was he suddenly holding her like she was something to be cherished? She was so confused. Her arms slowly came up and she put them around his neck, allowing herself to revel in this moment. Perhaps his relief was because he didn't have to worry about being given to a different human. That made sense. Still, the way he was holding her felt far more intimate than that.

She remembered the way he had growled at her before he had suppressed his true nature, as if her blood was the only thing he truly desired. Maybe there was more to this than she realized. Maybe he had feelings for her as well? She supposed it wasn't out of the realm of possibilities. He spent all his time in her house, which meant that she was the only person he was constantly around. What were the chances that Damon had developed feelings for her? Was there even a tiny chance that he might return her affections?

After a moment, she realized that he was still holding her, and she tapped his arm. He slowly let go of her, his blue eyes searching her brown ones. She hadn't rejected his embrace, nor had she pulled away from it after what would typically be considered an appropriate amount of time. Was there a chance that she returned his affections? He highly doubted it. Up until this moment, he hadn't even been able to pinpoint his feelings. Her being put in harm's way had made him realize that he cared deeply about her. He wasn't sure yet that he could call it love, but it was more than friendship or fondness, which was odd because he wasn't even sure he would have considered them friends.

"Thank you again Damon. Is…" she hesitated and bit her lip.

"What is it?"

"Is there any chance that I could stay with you tonight. I d-don't really want to be in my room right now, and I don't want t-to be alone."

He nodded and picked her up, confusing her. He did know she could walk herself, right? It wasn't as if she was suddenly some invalid. He looked down at her, and the look on his face was one of concern. Even though they hadn't had the chance to follow through with their intended purpose, he was still worried that she might be shaken up from the encounter. Once they were in his room, he brought her to the side furthest from the door, pulled back the blanket, and placed her on the bed.

"I could have walked Damon."

"I know," he replied, going around to the other side of the bed, and getting in. He made sure that there was a significant amount of space between them, not wanting to freak her out. She turned over and looked at him, giving him a small smile. A strand of hair was falling into her face, and he wanted to remove it, but he was afraid such a touch would be deemed too forward. The dilemma didn't last long as she took care of it.

Brown eyes stared into blue as she looked up at her vampire. _Her_ vampire? Where did that come from? She supposed to some degree that it was true considering that he had been given to her, but in her mind, she had meant it differently. Her arms were folded into her and her legs were curled slightly as she laid on her side and looked up at him. He was returning her gaze and had yet to look away.

"Thank you for letting me stay with you," she said softly.

"Anytime," he replied with a grin. Inside, he was singing with happiness that she was so close to him. Okay, he was starting to get irritated with himself. He didn't need to feel this way about a human, even if she was everything the woman he thought was his one true love had turned out not to be. If he was being honest, he was pleased that she had asked to stay with him. He didn't want her to be alone right now either. He was certain once the adrenaline wore off… and there it was. Suddenly, he could feel her shaking against the bed and he could smell the salt of her tears. He heard her muffled whimpers. Did she really think she could be quiet enough that he wouldn't be able to hear her?

He frowned as he watched her cry, wanting to hold her but uncertain that she would welcome that. Sure, she had allowed him to do so earlier, but it had been a stressful situation and at that time, he didn't know if she realized what he was doing. At that moment, he had been so relieved that no harm had come to her that he hadn't fully thought through his actions. As he listened to her soft sobs, he couldn't stop himself from closing the distance between them and pulling her close. She cried into his shoulder for what felt like an eternity as he rubbed her back, doing his best to comfort her. After a while, sleep took them both.

* * *

Elena woke with the first rays of the sun and felt a muscled chest against her face. She slowly opened her eyes and looked up to see Damon lying next to her, his arm draped around her waist, and the events from the night before came flying back. She had nearly been raped, but he had heard her and had come to her rescue. _Her vampire_ had come to her rescue. She smiled at the thought and moved a little closer to him. It took a moment for her brain to register a soft rumbling coming from somewhere in his chest. Apparently, vampires could purr.

His lips curled into a grin as blue eyes opened to look down at her. The expression on his face was one she had never seen before which made her wonder what he was thinking. He reached out and placed a few strands of hair behind her ear, and she smiled at him. She didn't know what would have happened if he hadn't been there, and for the first time since the Council had forced her to take him in, she was grateful to them.

"Sleep well?"

"I did," she replied and flipped over onto her back. "Sorry if you were uncomfortable at all."

"Yes Elena, it was a complete nuisance," he said, rolling his eyes.

"There's two dead bodies in my room," she stated as realization dawned on her. Damon grinned.

"Don't worry, I handled it."

"What do you mean?"

"That'll be him now."

Damon stood up and blurred away, making Elena furrow her brow. What on earth did he mean by he had this handled? She got out of bed and headed downstairs after him, wondering what he had up his sleeve. When she got to the last step, she stopped dead in her tracks. Why was Alaric here? Did the Council know what had happened? If they did, would they take Damon away from her? They couldn't, he was hers! What if they put him to death for killing two humans? He had been protecting her, but they might not see it that way.

"Ric," Damon greeted cheerily, confusing Elena. It was as if they knew each other. Alaric entered the house and Damon draped an arm around him.

"Need a bourbon buddy while you're doing your time?" Ric asked with a grin.

"Nah, this is business. I need your help removing a couple bodies."

"What happened? You been feeding on people?"

"These two clowns deserved it," Damon said, his expression going dark for a split second. If she had blinked, she would have missed it. It seemed Alaric had also noticed.

"What happened? Is everything all right?"

"They tried to rape Elena," he said softly.

"So, you drained them," Ric said with a nod. "Got it. I'll call the cleanup crew to take care of it. Liz has been tracking these two for a while. She'll be glad to know they'll no longer be a problem."

Liz as in Liz Forbes? As in the Council? Elena was feeling more and more confused by the minute.

"We'll have to make sure she's filled in on what happened here. Let her know I saw to it that Elena stayed safe."

"What the hell is going on?" she finally managed to get out, and both men looked up at her.

"Long story, but Ric is here to clean up the mess."

"So, the Council is aware…"

"Some members of the Council are aware," Ric replied. "It's a long story Elena, and Damon will have a chance to explain once we clean up his mess."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the chapter! Feel free to let me know your thoughts with a comment, and until Tuesday, stay awesome!


	6. Muddied

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here's the update that should have been up last week. Ya know, if both laptops hadn't decided that it was time to stop working. Ugh! Well, they've both been fixed, and there shouldn't be anymore hiccups in updates. As always, thank you to all who have bookmarked, commented, or left kudos. Your support for this story means the world to me!

She glared at him, unable to believe that she had woken up in the same bed as him this morning and felt safe. _She had felt safe!_ Ric had been lying to her, Damon had been lying to her! How could they? The tears came before she could stop them, and she saw both men move forward towards her. She was up the stairs in a minute, but Damon beat her to the landing. When she reached the top of the stairs, he placed his hands on her shoulders. She pushed him hard, and because he hadn't been expecting it, he stumbled back slightly.

"Elena?"

"How could you!?" she yelled angrily. "I trusted you! I thought we had an understanding! The entire time you were _lying_ to me!"

"There's more going on here than you realize."

"No, you don't get to make excuses! I want you out of my house! I'm going to the Council to let them know this isn't working!"

"They're not going to move me," he replied, biting his lip. "I kinda made sure of it," he said with a sigh.

"What!?" she yelled, absolutely enraged.

"Elena, give me a chance to explain."

"No!" she yelled and stormed by him when he moved to the side. She slammed the bathroom door shut and locked it, sliding down the wall and crying silently. She had been so stupid. She had thought he cared about her, that maybe he was even developing feelings for her, but the entire time, he had been lying to her and using her. How was she supposed to face him, knowing that he had never actually cared?

"Elena?"

"Go away," she choked out.

"Please come out. Give me a chance to explain."

"I said go away!" she yelled.

Damon sighed heavily and walked away from the bathroom door. It was obvious that he wasn't going to be able to reason with her while she was this upset. This rivaled that time that he had killed Jeremy. He thought about that night for a moment and knew she was going to be even more pissed when she found out that her brother was also in on this and that Damon had lied to her about his knowledge of the resurrection ring. What had he gotten himself into? When Ric had come to him for help, he hadn't expected to end up in this deep, yet here he was, trying to protect a girl who was barely of age that the Council wanted dead, a girl that he had fallen in love with. He was still a little fuzzy on the details, though he knew it had something to do with Jeremy and the resurrection ring, but he had agreed to help because Ric was calling in a favor he owed him.

His brain backtracked and he realized that he was in love with the girl. True, at first, he had been infatuated with her because she looked like Katherine, and he had antagonized her to try and get a feel for what she was really like, figuring that if she resembled Katherine, she was probably the same kind of person. She had proven him wrong during the time that he had spent with her. She was patient, kind, and spunky. His antagonizing her had shown him that she was nothing like his former lover. Over the last three months, he had developed feelings for her.

He came back downstairs and looked worriedly at Ric, who returned his gaze with a puzzled one. He thought that Damon would have filled her in on what was happening by now. What was he doing, playing house? Surely, he couldn't think that he could keep her in the dark the entire time. Their plan didn't work if she wasn't in on it. Granted, he didn't want Damon to tell her until she had a need to know, and they hadn't reached that point yet, but that didn't mean he had to keep her totally uninformed.

"Looks like you're in the doghouse," he said with a frown. Damon just shrugged in response.

"Not exactly like I can do anything about it."

"Why didn't you fill her in on at least the minor details?"

"I didn't want to tell her anything without being able to tell her everything," he replied, looking at the top of the stairs. "Fine mess you've made Salvatore," he whispered to himself.

"Do you think you'll be able to fix it?"

"It depends on how forgiving she is. You're the one who set me up on this assignment, and you seem to know her better than most. How long does she hold a grudge?"

"It depends on the situation, but in this case, I think it's going to take a while for her to forgive you. You look disappointed."

"Things were starting to progress," he stated as he looked at Ric.

"Progress? As in?"

"Yep. This wasn't supposed to happen. I was never supposed to develop feelings for her. I've been in love. It's painful, pointless, and overrated. And yet…" he trailed off.

"You got it bad," Ric grinned at him.

"Right now, my feelings aren't important. Keeping her safe is. She doesn't know she's the doppelgänger, but the Council does, and they want her dead. Killing her would ensure that Klaus never breaks the curse and would give them access to Jeremy and his ring. I can't let that happen. She can hate me all she wants as long as she's alive to do it."

"Yep, definitely a lovestruck idiot," Ric said, shaking his head. "I gotta say, your acting skills are pretty damn good though. The entire time you've been here, you've had her believing that you were pissed off about your situation. Jeremy told me you were incredibly convincing the night you killed him."

"Well, I can't say I'm overly happy to be a prisoner, but it definitely beats being dead. I would have been multiple times if you hadn't tipped me off, so thank you."

"If you don't like being cooped up here, why did you agree to this?"

"Because I owed you one, brother. Well, several actually."

"Cleanup crew is here. Make yourself scarce. Just because they know they're picking up after a vampire doesn't mean they're comfortable around you guys."

Damon nodded and headed back up to his room. As he walked by the bathroom door, he stopped for a moment, and he could hear quiet sobs. Elena was still in there, upset, and he had no way to get to her. That wasn't entirely true. If he really wanted to, he could have easily broken through the door, but he wasn't about to do something like that knowing that it would probably take even longer to get back into her good graces if he did. He would bide his time and hope that she might consider at least listening to him, even if she couldn't forgive him.

Elena was still in the bathroom, and she was finally starting to relax. She had cried so much that her head hurt, and her face was still soaked from tears. She grabbed a facecloth and wiped the wetness away, looking at the door when she heard Damon's footsteps coming up the stairs. She was finally calm, and she wished that he would go away so she could relax and stop crying. She let out a few silent sobs as she heard his footsteps stop in front of the bathroom door. He stood there a minute and then continued to his bedroom. She heard the door shut and she breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't think she could face him right now.

As she sat there, her phone went off and she picked it up to see what the alert was. It was probably junk because that's what most alerts were nowadays. Her lips curled up when she saw the number, and she unlocked her phone to read the message. Elena flinched when the background picture of Damon came up on her phone, and she stared at it angrily before going into her gallery to delete the photo and setting her background to something generic. She hit home and clicked on her message icon, and what she saw brought her hope.

_Elena, my contact was able to get ahold of Elijah Mikaelson. He wants to meet with you._

_Let me know when and where_ , she replied.

She put her head against the wall and looked up at the ceiling. At least one thing was going right today. If she could strike a deal with Elijah, it meant that she could be rid of Damon. He would have the freedom he so desperately craved, and she wouldn't have to worry about a conniving, treacherous vampire living under her roof. They would both get what they wanted if it went according to plan. She thought for a moment and decided to send Caroline a message.

_Could really use a friend right now. Any chance that you could come over for dinner?_

_Would you mind if I brought Stefan with me?_

_Not at all. He's in for a surprise. ;)_

She thought about letting Damon know that his brother was going to be at the house that night but decided to keep it to herself. It wasn't like he had ever been upfront with her, so why should she afford him that courtesy? He would find out when Caroline showed up with Stefan in tow for dinner that night. It served him right for lying to her for the past few months.

* * *

When that night arrived, she had the menu out for their favorite Chinese food place before Caroline had even arrived. She was in the kitchen, leaning over the sink and staring out the small double window when there was a knock. She smiled as she stood up and made her way over to the entrance, greeting them happily. She was grateful that Caroline had been able to drop whatever plans Elena was certain she'd had that night to visit her friend.

Caroline and Stefan stood on the stoop, and Elena smiled as she invited them both in. Caroline wasn't a vampire, so she didn't need to be invited in, but Stefan did. He looked at her with a friendly smile, and for a moment, Elena thought about how lucky her friend was. He was one of the sweetest and kindest men- or vampires- that she knew.

After a minute, his eyes widened and she followed his gaze to Damon, who stood behind her on the stairs, looking dumbstruck. Good, now he knew how she felt this morning. She turned, grinning to herself a bit as she did. She was looking forward to making him feel awkward tonight, and she was certain that Stefan would be the perfect person to help her do that. Once the shock wore off, he hid it with stoicism.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's the chapter. Feel free to let me know what you thought with a comment, and see everyone on Tuesday!


	7. Aggravation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Tuesday everyone! Here's a new update! Hooray for working computers, right? RIGHT? Thank you to all who have bookmarked, commented, and left kudos. Your support for this story means the world to me.

“Damon,” Stefan said softly, unable to believe his brother was standing before him after fifteen years.

“Hello brother,” he replied, a small smirk gracing his lips.

“I’m ordering Chinese,” Elena cut in happily, pretending there was absolutely nothing weird or awkward going on.

“Oh, goody,” Caroline replied, following her into the kitchen so she could get out of the tense environment, and they left the two brothers in the entryway.

“What are you doing here?” Stefan queried.

“It just so happens that I live here,” Damon replied irritably. “What are _you_ doing here?”

“Elena invited Caroline and me over for dinner.”

“Did she?”

“If it’s a problem, we can leave.”

“No, no problem at all. I’m _flattered_ to have you and your… what is she, your pet?”

“Damon…”

“Oh no, that’s right, it’s the other way around. I must say, captivity suits you Stefan. You’re looking far better than the last time I saw you. I’ll assume that’s the human’s doing.”

“Her name is Caroline,” Stefan ground out, mildly annoyed at his brother’s thinly veiled hostility.

“She doesn’t make you call her Mistress?” Damon asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. Stefan rolled his eyes and followed the girls into the kitchen.

“Oh, I almost forgot to ask, are you tethered to her, or do you follow her around like a dog willingly?” Damon antagonized as he followed his little brother.

“Damon!” Elena yelled as both brothers entered the kitchen.

“What?”

“Stop harassing him. I’m sorry, Stefan, is he bothering you? If so, I can put him back upstairs.”

Damon wanted to ask her how she was going to do that, but last time he had seriously pissed her off, she had injected him with vervain. He didn't need to push his luck and find out the hard way how she was going to get him into his room. It would be best to play it cool, but that was going to be much harder with his saint of a brother around. He had been hoping to use dinner as an opening to talk to Elena, but that idea was now off the table.

"It's fine Elena. I'm used to my brother being a pain in the ass."

Caroline was eyeing Damon warily, so he eyed her back, brow furrowed.

"Can I help you Blondie?"

"Your Stefan's brother?"

"Yeah."

"He didn't tell me he had a brother."

"Stefan's not one to brag," Damon replied, moving around the island to get a closer look at Caroline. As he approached, she began to back away, feeling like she was being rounded on by a predator.

"Knock it off, Damon," Elena ground out angrily, causing him to turn to her and forget about the blonde. Even when he was looking at her, his look was dangerous. She found his current expression unnerving, so she looked away. Why was he acting like this? What had happened this morning and her anger towards him was entirely his fault, so why was he treating her like she had betrayed him?

"Or what?" he finally asked, unable to stop himself.

"Or I'll stick you with vervain and let you desiccate upstairs again."

"Because we both know how well that worked the last time."

"I mean it."

"Maybe I should have just let those two have their way with you after all," he said before he could think, and the look on her face had him wishing he could take it back immediately.

The memories from the night before came flying back to Elena. She remembered how afraid she had been in that moment when those two men had held her down, one of them working on getting their pants off. She had struggled as hard as she could against them both, but with one of them holding her wrists, she hadn't been able to get any leeway. She had silently hoped and prayed that Damon would come to her rescue, and he had.

The look on her face was telling for all parties involved. She was reliving a horror, though Caroline and Stefan didn't know what exactly. They watched as her lip quivered and her warm brown eyes came up to meet Damon's light blues. He had regretted the words as they came out of his mouth, and he wished he could take the look on her face away. He had caused that broken look she had now. That was _his_ fault.

"Elena…"

"I'm meeting with Elijah Mikaelson soon. I'm going to see if he can't help me make sure you stay alive and free. Once we strike a deal, I don't want to see you ever again."

"Elena, I…"

"I'll be upstairs," she said, turning on her heel. "The money for the Chinese is in my purse on the chair."

Before anyone could say anything else, she had already run upstairs and thrown herself onto her bed. She laid on her stomach, crying even more tears over what had happened to her the night before. Even though it had just happened last night, it felt far longer ago than that. Her being curled up in Damon's arms, feeling safe as she slept had only been last night, and since they had woken up this morning, everything had changed.

She was sick of feeling sorry for herself, of feeling helpless, but she was. What good was she to anyone? She wasn't strong or fast or smart. She was average at best, and she didn't understand why she had been pulled into a world of the extraordinary when she was just a normal girl. Shouldn't someone who was better equipped to deal with supernatural creatures be called upon, like Buffy or the Winchesters? If only they weren't fictional characters.

She felt a hand on her back. It was too small and dainty to be either of the guys. She peeked her face out and saw Caroline giving her a gentle smile. Elena lifted her head and felt more tears coming. She couldn't believe that Damon would say something like that to her, especially so soon after she had nearly been assaulted. She knew that vampires had much more powerful emotions, but that didn't give him the right to talk to her like that. It didn't give him the right to wish harm on her. She hated him and she wanted him out of her house as soon as possible.

"Hey," Caroline said, sitting down on the bed and rubbing her shoulder.

"Hey yourself," Elena replied softly as she sat up on the bed.

"Stefan's on the stairs. He's tethered, so he can't be too far away from me. I just wanted to let you know."

"It's not like Damon and him can't hear everything we say anyways."

"My mother filled me in on what happened. She knew you were going to invite me over, so she thought I should know the details. I hope that's okay."

Honestly, Elena was thanking her lucky stars right then. Caroline already knew, which meant she wouldn't have to tell her herself. Liz had done that for her, and she deeply appreciated it, even if it hadn't been meant as a favor.

"It's okay," Elena said with a nod. She leaned forward and pulled Caroline into a hug.

"I'm glad Damon was here to protect you from them, but I'm worried about who's going to protect you from him. He doesn't exactly seem like he has it all together."

"I don't think I won him over when I invited his brother over and didn't tell him."

"Right, but he also hasn't filled you in on what's going on with the Council according to Ric. Two wrongs may not make a right, but I can understand why you would be upset."

"Why does everyone else seem to be in on whatever's going on with the stupid Council?" Elena snapped, causing Caroline to frown.

"All I know is that Ric, my mother, and a couple other Council members are trying to protect you. Damon has something to do with that. I don't know anything else though. I just worry that they placed a hotheaded vampire with you instead of someone more even-tempered like Stefan."

"Because Saint Stefan always knows what to do, right?" she heard Damon ask, his voice dripping with venom. He was standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame.

"Go away!" Elena yelled.

"Why?" he retorted, quirking an eyebrow.

"Because I don't want you here," she said so harshly that even she was taken aback. He looked at her a moment, his expression unreadable before he shrugged and left. Caroline put a comforting hand on her shoulder, doing her best to try to make Elena feel better.

Damon was moody as he went into his own room. He had wanted to be the one to comfort Elena, but Caroline had insisted that she check on her instead. She had told him that after what he had said, he had no right to even be in the same house. He knew that she was right, but that didn't make those words stung any less.

"Knock, knock," he heard Stefan say from the other side of the door.

"What?" he growled out irritably.

"Can I come in?"

"Do whatever you want."

Stefan opened the door and entered Damon's room. He looked around and noticed how much it didn't remind him of his older brother. Damon had always liked classic but elegant. He didn't really like to flaunt anything, but he still liked it to be fancy. This room was relatively plain and didn't suit his style at all. Stefan shrugged off the notion after a moment and looked at his big brother.

"Damon," he said softly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause a problem between Elena and you."

"You didn't, there was already a problem well before you two got here. You shouldn't give yourself so much credit. I can ruin relationships all on my own."

"Why are you here?"

"Ric needed someone who could protect the doppelganger. I was the first person that came to mind, so here I am in captivity, basically her pet."

"I never thought I would see the day where you served a human at all, let alone willingly."

"I owed Ric several favors, and he said this accounts for all of them. Once things blow over, I'll be free and on the run again."

"Is that what you want?"

"Of course it is. Not all of us can be heroes like you, Saint Stefan."

Stefan nodded. He looked at his older brother with sympathy. Damon had never done emotions, at least not well. He was a loose cannon at best and tended not be able to control what he was feeling. That could make it hard to sort through things, and he imagined that his brother had yet to realize that he had fallen in love with the girl. Or perhaps he did know, but he wasn't ready to admit it yet.

* * *

For the next couple days, Elena wouldn't even spare Damon a glance. She refused to give into the temptation to forgive him. He had destroyed what little trust they had been able to build. She still didn't understand why he would use such scornful words towards her when he was the one who had protected her in the first place.

Her contact had been able to get in touch with Elijah and had set up a meeting. Two days from now, a plan would be set in motion that would give the vampire his autonomy back and make it so she never had to see or think about him again. She was looking forward to a Damon-free household and a Damon-free life. Perhaps some sense of normalcy would return once she had gotten rid of him.

The level of tension was palpable between them, and she found herself outside of the house more so that she could get away from him. She only had to bide the next forty-eight hours and then she'd be able to start planning for her future without him. She could tell him that he was no longer her burden to bear, which was what they both wanted, wasn't it? A small amount of doubt was creeping into her mind at the thought of not having him around. When she arrived back home, he cornered her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's the chapter! Looks like I've got some more writing to do to get this fanfic complete ASAP. Feel free to let me know what you thought with a comment. See everyone on Tuesday!


	8. Confession

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's Tuesday and here I am with another update! Woot woot! Thank you to all who have bookmarked, commented, or left kudos. Your support means the world to me!

"You've been avoiding me."

"I thought that was obvious."

He put an arm on either side of her head, caging her in. His intense gaze held her in place like a predator who had caught their prey. She returned his gaze with an uncertain look of her own, wishing to be anywhere else. His eyes seemed to be searching hers for something, but a moment later, he stood back, putting his arms down. Whatever he had been searching for, he had apparently found. Or perhaps he hadn't, and that was why he was letting her go.

He grabbed a few strands of her hair and played with them, letting them run through his fingers, looking at them as he did. While she watched him, she would say his eyes seemed almost sad, as if there was something that he was holding back. It didn't last long before that mask was back up and his expression turned stoic once more. She had no idea what this was all about.

"I'm sorry Elena. I know I hurt you," he said softly.

"Don't worry Damon. You're getting your wish. I'm meeting with Elijah Mikaelson tonight. It may not happen immediately, but I'm sure you'll be free again soon. After all, that's what you wanted."

"Elena…"

"Don't worry about it. You're a vampire. Hurting people is in your nature."

Was that a flash of pain in those eyes? Had her words stung him? If so, it didn't last long before the mask once again came up. He turned and went back upstairs, deciding that he no longer wanted to be in her presence. Clearly, she wasn't going to forgive him for his numerous transgressions, so why should he bother trying? He needed to call Ric.

"Damon," Ric greeted like always. It didn't matter who called who, Ric was always the first one to speak.

"Ric," Damon replied, and Alaric immediately picked up on the odd tone.

"What's the matter buddy?"

"Elena's meeting with Elijah. She wants to free me. Guess I was too much for her to handle. You need to find another vampire to take my place so she can stay safe."

"Damon, you're stronger than almost every other vampire in existence. There's not a better candidate to take your place."

"I'm not sure I can keep this up. She already hates me."

"Elena doesn't stay angry long. What did you do anyways?"

"I told her that I should have let those men have their way with her."

"You're an idiot."

" _I know that!_ " he nearly yelled, then remembered that Elena was in her room and had no idea he was on the phone. "I can't believe I managed to screw this up. I mean, I shouldn't be surprised, this is me we're talking about, but still."

"She's one of the most forgiving people I know. She'll get over it eventually."

"Or she'll tie me up and let me desiccate again," Damon supplied.

"I still can't believe you pissed her off enough for her to use vervain ropes and a muzzle," Ric said with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"I killed her brother, what were you expecting?"

"For you to tell her it was part of some diabolical plan to bring down the Council. Okay, now that you mention it, that probably wouldn't have been the best way to handle things either."

"So, to get back at me for keeping her in the dark, she invites my estranged brother over and doesn't tell me. I got angry and she said maybe she should have let me desiccate. I got angrier and told her that maybe I should have let those guys have their way with her. What a mess I've created Ric. I have no idea how I'm going to get myself out of this one. I'm developing feelings for her, and the best thing those can do is get in the way of me doing my job."

"Actually, I think that's the reason that you're the perfect candidate to protect her."

"You don't think those emotions are going to get in the way of rational thinking?"

"Damon, since when have you ever been rational?"

"You know, that's a good point. You think she'll forgive me?"

"As long as you don't do anything else to screw it up, maybe in a month or two."

"This would be so much easier if I could leave the house."

"You could always tether…"

" _Without_ Elena."

"She doesn't trust you not to run off the moment you have the chance, huh?"

"I played it so well that she actually wants to try to make a deal with Elijah for my freedom. You and I both know how bad of an idea that is."

"He wants her dead too."

"Yeah. I'll talk to you soon."

He heard a knock at his door and looked up. The door was closed, so she would have no clue that he had just been on the phone. He supposed it wasn't that big a deal so long as she hadn't heard the conversation he'd been having with Ric. He wasn't ready for her to know about their plan. He needed to tell her about it when the time was right.

"It's _your_ house," he said to the knock.

"It's _your_ room," she retorted in the same tone.

"True enough. Come in."

She opened the door and looked at the vampire who was currently lounging on his bed, looking completely relaxed.

"I know that soon you'll be free, and I don't want us to end things on bad terms, so I wanted to tell you I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologizing when I should be?" he asked as he stared up at nothing in particular.

"I didn't take you for the apologetic type."

"I'm not," he said now as he turned to her. "So, believe me when I tell you I'm sorry for everything that happened the other day. I shouldn't have kept secrets from you, and I shouldn't have said what I said. And I'm sorry that I'm not filling you in on what's going on now, but it's not time yet."

"What does that even mean?"

"Right now, you being in the dark is the best possible thing to make sure I can protect you," he replied softly as he rose from the bed. He closed the distance between them, and her breath hitched as he leaned down, dangerously close to her lips. His eyes were narrowed, though not threatening, and he was smiling. She felt her cheeks flush at his closeness. He waited to see if she would be brave enough to kiss him.

Elena hesitated a moment, feeling uncertain of herself. She wanted to go for it, but would he welcome her kiss? Was he simply toying with her? She thought back to the other morning, and how he hadn't minded her cuddling up to him. She remembered how safe she had felt when she laid against him after almost having been attacked. Slowly, she leaned up and her lips brushed his. His eyes closed and he wrapped two powerful arms around her, enveloping her completely. He felt her arms come up and wrap around his neck. He deepened it slightly, and she let out a soft moan. After a moment, he pulled away, looking down at her with that same intense gaze.

"I wasn't sure you felt the same," he said as he put his forehead against hers.

"Funny, I thought the same thing," she replied with a shy smile.

The look on his face was enough to tell her that he was genuine and that he was happy. He seemed more at peace than she had ever seen before, as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. She decided to go in for another kiss, and he quickly returned it as passion took him over. This was the first time that he had allowed himself to feel this way since Katherine had broken his heart, and unlike Katherine, this girl returned his affections. He pulled away, once again putting his forehead against hers.

"I don't remember feeling this happy in my hundred and seventy-one years on this earth."

"You're an antique," she said as she giggled. He just grinned back at her, enjoying having her in his arms. After a few minutes like that, his expression turned serious.

"Don't go see Elijah. It's not a good idea."

"Damon," she said, a warning in her tone.

"Please," he leaned down and nibbled on her ear. "Or at least, if you're going to go, let me come with you."

"That would mean tethering you to me."

"It would."

"Last I knew, you hated the idea."

"I still do, but it beats you getting killed because I was being stubborn."

* * *

Bonnie was surprised when she got a text from Elena. She knew that her best friend had had her hands full with the vampire pet that she had been stuck with. From what she had told her, he was impossible on the best of days, and on the worst, he could be downright murderous. Those words had made Bonnie fear for her even more than she already had. She was aware of the reputation of Damon Salvatore, but she had never met anyone besides Stefan who knew him, and his little brother had the blinders on because he was family.

She had worried over the last three months that one day she was going to wake up to a phone call that the vampire was on the loose after having killed Elena. There were a couple things she had told her that had the witch perplexed though, like when he had caught her to stop her from falling down the stairs and when he had stopped the intruders from hurting her. Something about this didn't add up, and she wanted to know more about why Damon had been placed with Elena. There had to be more to the story.

She was the most upset that she'd ever been with a man, especially one she'd never met, the night that Elena came to her house and told her about what he had said. She partially blamed herself because she knew she had pulled a dirty move by inviting Stefan over without telling him. They were estranged by what Caroline and Stefan had both said, but that didn't mean that he thought any less of Damon. It was more Damon's choice not to have a relationship with his baby brother.

To tell Elena that he thought he should have let her get attacked was going too far. Bonnie had held her while she cried, and in that moment, she realized that Elena had feelings for the vampire. She wondered if her friend was already aware or if she was still in the dark about her emotions. When she had mentioned the cuddle session they'd had the morning after the attack, her face had lit up for a brief moment before turning dark as she relived that night. Tears had fallen hard when she talked about how for a moment, she felt safe with him, but then found out that he had been keeping things from her. Bonnie was concerned about the roller coaster of emotions that the vampire was putting her through. She looked down at the text again.

_Could you come over. Need you to tether Damon to me. XOXO, Elena._

She had reread that text at least five times, feeling uncertain. Damon had made it clear that he wasn't to be trusted, and even though he wouldn't be able to go far from Elena, there was nothing to stop him from leading her right into a trap, and their bond could be broken if she died. At best, Bonnie was apprehensive about the idea of allowing the vampire out of the house. She figured that she would go over to the house and get an explanation before performing the spell. If there was a good reason, she'd be willing to do it, so she still rounded up the ingredients she would need to cast it.

_Be there ASAP._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's the chapter! Feel free to let me know your thoughts with a comment, and see you with another update next week!


	9. Tethered

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! Happy Tuesday! I'm here with a bit of a shorter update than normal, but it's a rather important one. Thank you to all who have followed, favorited, and reviewed. I hope you enjoy!

With that, she was out the door and on her way.

Bonnie arrived at Elena's house fifteen minutes later. She felt nervous at the idea of meeting the vampire that she'd heard so much about. She fondly remembered the first time Elena had ever admitted to finding him attractive. It was the day that he had played keep away with her wallet and she had knocked them both over. Up until then, she'd been in denial about his allure. Bonnie didn't need Elena to tell her for her to know.

She made her way up to the door, ringing the doorbell and bouncing on her toes on the porch as she waited for an answer. She had a paper bag in her hand with the ingredients that she would need to make the spell work. Finally, the door swung open and she was greeted by a pale man with disarming blue eyes and dark hair. She gave him a small smile.

"Damon, I take it."

"You must be the witch," he replied as he smirked at her.

Bonnie could see what Elena found appealing about him. He had handsome features with a square jaw, a muscular body, and eyes that could make most girls do whatever he wanted, possibly even some guys too. His voice was a bit husky, though not too deep, and when he looked at her, she felt as if everything melted away and she was the only thing he saw. Everything about him was meant to draw others in, he was truly a beautiful monster.

"I am. Bonnie Bennett. It's nice to meet you," she said.

"Cut the theatrics. Your ancestors hated me and I'm sure you do too."

She shrugged.

"I don't let other people form my opinions for me. If you're a good person, we'll end up being friends, but based on everything Elena's told me, you're just a self-serving psychopath with no redeeming qualities."

Damon mock pouted for a moment and then smiled at her. He moved aside, allowing her to enter. So far, he liked her. She was a spitfire that reminded him a lot of Emily. He just hoped that Elena hadn't caused her to form a negative opinion of him already. If this was her best friend, then he would need to garner her approval as Elena's boyfriend. That was how women worked, or he was pretty sure that it was anyways.

She smiled when she saw Elena coming towards her. She opened her arms and they hugged tight. Even though they hadn't seen each other that long ago, it felt like it had been forever. So much had happened between what Damon had said to her and today. Elena was looking forward to updating her friend on their new relationship status. She just hoped that Bonnie would approve, though something inside of her told her that her closest friend would be anxious at best.

"So, why am I tethering the vampire to you?"

"She's meeting with Elijah today," Damon replied as he shut the door.

"I was talking to Elena," Bonnie said with her back still turned to him. He just shrugged, though she couldn't see him.

"I'm meeting with Elijah and Damon doesn't want me to go alone. He thinks it might be a setup."

"And what if him going with you is a setup?" Bonnie queried. The look on Elena's face told her that she hadn't thought of that.

"I know you won't take my word for it, but it's not," the vampire said behind her. Bonnie turned around now to look at him.

"You've already hurt her several times. Why should I believe you?"

"Because," he said, and she noticed that his voice softened, though it was subtle. "I'm in love with her."

Elena stared at him dumbfounded. They had only just kissed for the first time that day, and they weren't even close to using the 'L' word that she had known of. She was shocked that he would freely admit his feelings for her like that, especially to a total stranger. Then again, he knew that Bonnie was her closest friend. She had told him as much before she had messaged her to come over and perform the spell. She guessed he wanted to make sure that Bonnie knew how serious he was before getting involved.

Bonnie was also staring, and her mouth was open just slightly. From what she knew of vampires, they loved harder than humans, but had trouble with emotions. Their anger often turned into rage; sadness could consume them. To be loved by a vampire was to be cherished, protected, and to have someone that was willing to give all of themselves for their beloved. That was what Damon was confessing to. While Bonnie still had her doubts, she didn't think he would be able to lie about something like that.

"I have the rope and the infusion of herbs right here," she said as she patted the paper bag.

"Herbs? What herbs?" Elena asked curiously.

"Valerian, mustard seed, and rose. For the tethering spell, I'll dip the rope into the blend and then tie it around each of your waists. Then I'll say an incantation, and the spell will be done. How much room would you like to give him for movement?"

Elena looked at him for a moment. He was doing this solely so he could protect her, or so he claimed. What if Bonnie was right and this was just a setup? His pretty words hadn't done much to put her at ease either. You could be in love with someone and still betray them, and she knew how quickly his mood could flip. What were the chances that she was about to be collateral damage in a diabolical scheme that he had cooked up? The way he looked back at her told her that he could read all her doubts in her face, and she saw the flash of pain in his eyes before he hid it. Her second guessing him had hurt him.

Bonnie had seen it too, though she didn't make any mention. That was enough for her to want to perform the spell. He genuinely cared and he was worried for Elena's safety. She couldn't ask for more confirmation than what he had just shown for that brief second that he let himself be vulnerable. He became stoic except for his lips, which tugged up into the smallest of smirks. Bonnie now knew that he was using that smirk to hide what he was truly feeling. Even after knowing him for five minutes, she found that he was an open book, though he tried extremely hard not to be.

"So, how does this work exactly?" he asked, the hurt evident in his voice. Bonnie tried to give him a reassuring smile. It was her fault that Elena had any doubts in the first place.

"Once you're tethered, you'll be able to move the allotted distance away from Elena. If you go any further, you'll feel yourself being tugged. Once you're back in range, the tugging will stop. The longer you're out of range, the more painful it becomes. Eventually it'll feel like the ropes are going to rip through your insides, so be mindful not to wander too far."

"Will the same happen to her if I'm too far away?"

"No, it only happens to the person who's being tethered. Elena's the anchor, so to speak."

Bonnie watched as his face visibly relaxed at that. He hated the idea that it was a one-way street, but he was also relieved to know that he wouldn't hurt Elena if for any reason, he should be separated from her. It was one of his goals not to cause her any more harm than he already had, at least not intentionally. He looked at the rope and then at Elena, nodding his approval. He needed to go through with this if he was going to be able to protect her better.

"One more thing. We're going to tether you outside the house, and there's a clause that states that as long as you're in your home, it won't be in effect, so you won't have to be close to Elena whenever you're here."

"Okay," he said, nodding in approval. He didn't mind the idea of being close to her but having his privacy from time to time would also be nice.

* * *

"Go ahead and test it out," Bonnie prompted as she opened her eyes.

Elena moved to the porch, while Damon moved to the other side of the yard. The tether allowed for a fifty-foot radius, and they were twice the distance from one another. After a moment, the tugging started. Damon had always assumed that the tether would simply drag the person back to the anchor, but it was more complicated than that. It was as if the rope was still there, tugging, telling him that he was out of range. He moved and felt the tightness around his waist give a little slack. Taking another step, it loosened a little more. Once he was within the fifty-foot radius that he was allowed, the tug went away completely.

"Good," Bonnie said with a nod. "I want you to stay away longer this time. You need to familiarize yourself with the feeling, which includes the pain."

The longer he stayed away from Elena, the tighter the invisible rope around his stomach became. He thought the worst pain was when it was squeezing so tightly it felt like it was going to cut his skin, but then it began to feel like the rope _was_ cutting into him. That was after twenty minutes being away from Elena, and he couldn't imagine how much worse it would be if he was kept away longer.

Bonnie seemed to be pleased with her work. The tether was working as it was supposed to. She felt maybe just a tad guilty about causing the vampire such discomfort, though with the amount of pain he had put Elena through recently, she thought he deserved it. Testing the bind was the only way to make sure that it was working properly, and she felt better knowing that the spell had been done correctly. It was her first time performing a tethering spell.

"Thanks, _witch,_ " Damon said in a tone that most would find menacing, but Bonnie just rolled her eyes at him.

"Anytime, bloodsucker."

* * *

The rendezvous point for that night was at the quarry. It didn't take long to get there from the Gilbert house, but they had left early because being at the house had Elena on edge. She had been hoping that being at their meeting place might help with the jitters, but it seemed to have only made them worse. She shook her hands, pacing back and forth while her vampire watched her.

"You're making _me_ nervous," he said, watching her pace for what felt like the billionth time.

"I just want to get this over with. One vampire is enough of a handful."

"You're one to talk," came his cheeky reply as he grinned at her.

"Miss Gilbert," came a voice with an accent that was undiscernible.

"Mr. Mikaelson, I presume," she responded as she turned in the direction of that voice.

"Correct. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I've heard good things about you."

"The pleasure is mine. This is Damon-"

"Salvatore," he cut her off. "I heard that you'd been captured. It would seem that I was misinformed."

"Nah, she's my human," he said as he closed the distance and placed his arm around Elena's shoulders. A slight blush crept up her cheeks at that admission.

"I see someone finally managed to trap and tame the great Damon Salvatore. I'm sure the human population will thank you," he said as he turned to Elena, his expression unreadable.

"Well, that's actually why I called this meeting. I've heard that you know of a way to gain a vampire their freedom and hide them from capture. While I appreciate having him around, he's made it clear that he would prefer not to be treated like a common house pet."

"Is that so?" Elijah asked, sounding amused. "You could do far worse than Miss Gilbert. Are you sure this is what you want?"

Damon looked at her for a moment. It had never been what he wanted. His only desire had been to help out his buddy by keeping one of his wards safe, but his behavior had caused the plan to backfire. He had played his part so well that he'd even had Elena believing that all he wanted was for her to free him. That was his biggest mistake. If only he didn't have the constant urge to be a pain in her side, he might have been able to stop this meeting from happening.

"Tell you what, if there's a way for me to be able to move about freely as her pet, I'll take that as a compromise."

"That's what tethering is for," Elijah replied, the amusement now having left his tone. "I hope you did not call this meeting to waste my time."

"There has to be a way besides tethering," Damon stated. "It's rather inconvenient considering that it only affords so much distance from the anchor."

"And surely you would never agree to such a thing," Elijah said as he looked at him. "Miss Gilbert must really trust you to have allowed you out of the house then."

"Of course," Elena replied with a smile. "He's been on good behavior recently."

"I'm certainly glad to hear it," Elijah grinned.

Damon didn't like what Elijah was saying, he knew that he was calling their bluff. They couldn't trust this vampire, and he sincerely hoped that Elena was going to realize the same thing. A vampire as old as Elijah was incredibly dangerous. Hell, he was incredibly dangerous, and even he was feeling uneasy. Something about this wasn't right, and he knew that.

"We will have to plan another time to meet. I was not aware that Damon was to be attending our meeting, and I would like to discuss the matter with you in private."

"Anything you have to say to her you can say in front of me," Damon tried to argue. Elijah turned to him, making eye contact.

"You will not be with her when we meet next. When she tells you that she is meeting with me, then you will simply nod and tell her that it is fine."

"I will not be with her when she meets with you again. When she tells me that she is meeting with you, I will nod and tell her it's fine," Damon replied, feeling a pull that was unfamiliar to him. Elena was surprised that Damon was so agreeable, but she had never been compelled, so she didn't recognize the signs.

"Good boy," Elijah said somewhat mockingly. He leaned in and whispered something, making sure he was still making eye contact. Damon whispered back to him and he nodded. _Perfect._

"Now Elena, I will set up a new meeting with you within the month. The contact you've been in touch with will reach out to give you the information."

"Okay, I look forward to meeting with you again," she said pleasantly, and he gave her a smile. Damon didn't like the way he looked at her. It was _too_ predatory, even for a vampire. When Elijah's gaze fell on him, he felt uneasy, as if there was something he was forgetting, something that was important.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's it for this chapter, and again, I'm sorry for how short it is! Feel free to let me know your thoughts with a review. See everyone next week!


	10. Confusion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Tuesday everyone! Here is the newest update for A Simple Plan! We finally get to see what Elijah was up to, and soon we'll also get to see what the plan was all along and why the Council allowed months to pass with Elena still alive instead of getting their hands dirty! Thank you to all who have bookmarked, commented, and left kudos. Your support means the world to me!

They left and headed home. Elena was feeling positive about the encounter she'd just had with the Original, and she didn't understand what Damon had been so worried about. Elijah was a perfect gentleman. He had been sweet and polite, if not a little put off by the presence of another vampire. Elena supposed she should have had her contact warn him before she had brought Damon along, that way he might have been more forthcoming.

The ride home was spent in palatable silence. Damon seemed to be caught up in his own thoughts, while Elena was simply enjoying the ride and the scenery as it flew by them. She wondered if he felt that giving up any semblance of autonomy he might have had was worth it. He wasn't complaining, so she supposed that he did.

He looked over at her, and something unreadable was in his expression. She looked minorly confused by his odd expression. In a flash, he reached over and grabbed the steering wheel, jerking it hard into oncoming traffic. Elena tried her best to push him off. He let go and she jerked the car back, attempting to correct it. Before she could move them out of the way, another car hit them, causing the car to flip several times.

Damon was out of the car in a flash. He looked down at the wreck, frowning as he felt an odd pull. He needed to get to Elena, but something was stopping him. Instead of helping her, he was frozen there on the spot. Anyone looking at the wreck would have thought he was experiencing shock, but it took a lot more than a car crash to shake a vampire like him. On top of that, he couldn't figure out what had caused him to grab the steering wheel in the first place. One moment he had been sitting there and thinking, and before he knew what he was doing, he was steering them into traffic.

Someone else ran by him, grabbing Elena out of the car. He looked at her, then at the person that had come to her rescue. He had wanted to be that person, but instead, he had just stood there like a buffoon. The fact that any harm had come to her was his fault in the first place. He looked at her, then at the person, who was now talking to him, and realized that they were a first responder. Wasn't there some thing about not moving a person so that their injuries couldn't be made worse if the rescuer didn't know what they were doing? He guessed it kind of looked like that, though he could have just given her some of his blood to heal her.

* * *

Elena woke up in the hospital with no idea what had happened. Last she knew, Damon and she had been on their way home from their meeting with Elijah. She couldn't remember anything beyond that. After a moment, it dawned on her that she didn't know where the vampire was. What had happened to him? Was he all right? She looked around the room and saw him sleeping in a chair. She watched him for a moment, seeing his lips twitch into a smile.

"I can feel you looking at me," he said as he opened his eyes. She smiled back at him.

"What happened?"

Damon looked at her, then at the ground. He didn't want to tell her the truth, especially because the accident had been his fault. He didn't want her to know that he was the reason that she had lost control of the car and caused the wreck. Still, he knew he couldn't lie to her, even if he wanted to. The guilt would eat him up inside. Lying had always come naturally to him, and he didn't like the affect this girl was having.

"I grabbed the steering wheel," he replied softly. "And drove us into oncoming traffic."

She remembered now. His hand hadn't been there and then it was. She had tried hard to correct them but hadn't been able to. The impact had caused her to hit her head, and then she had blacked out. She frowned and looked over at him. She wanted to say that he was suicidal, but vampires didn't die that easily. That meant it had to have been an attempt on her life. Her heartrate jumped at the idea of him being in her room, and she backed as far away from him as she could.

"Stay away from me," she said with fear in her eyes.

He sighed.

"I've talked to Ric about being placed in a different home already. He said because of the move I pulled, they don't want me out of your custody. Elena, you must believe me, I didn't mean to hurt you. I don't know what came over me. Please, allow me to make it up to you."

"No Damon, get out of my room."

"Elena, please…"

"I said get away from me!"

She yelled so loud that a nurse came running. As soon as she saw Damon, she rushed him out of the room and shooed him right out of the hospital. He felt the limits of the tether trying to draw him back. He couldn't be out of Elena's proximity or the house too long, otherwise the pain would overwhelm him. He decided he needed to get back to the house as soon as possible. There was no way anyone in that hospital was going to allow him near Elena now. Being this far away was already excruciating, but once he was within the seal of the house, he knew it would go away. Using his vampire speed, he blurred back to the house, landing on the front porch as the pain became so intense that he was certain he was going to die. He fought to get up, landing on his knees and barely pulling open the knob. He used his elbows and knees to drag himself over the threshold. The minute he passed through, the grip that had held him so tightly released and the pain was gone, as if it had never been there. He gasped, relieved that the invisible rope had finally released. As soon as he was inside, he heard his cell phone ring and picked up.

"Damon," came Alaric's voice, but it wasn't as warm and friendly as usual.

"Alaric," he said back. "What is it?"

"I heard about that stunt you pulled. _What the hell were you thinking_?"

"That's the thing, Ric. I have no idea what happened. One minute I was in the passenger seat, next thing I knew, I was jarring the steering wheel."

"And you have _no clue_ why you might have done that?"

"No, I don't. We were on our way back from meeting with Elijah Mikaelson.

He heard Ric suck in a breath, and he wondered what his buddy was thinking.

"He's an original Damon. He can compel vampires."

"Didn't know that," Damon muttered. "That would have been good information to have _before_ that meeting."

"You mean the meeting you were supposed to talk Elena out of going to? Damon, Elijah's working with the Council to kill her."

" _What!?"_

"What a mess," Ric said, and Damon didn't need to see him to know he was rubbing his forehead. "Elena will be released in three days. I'm bringing her back to the house. By that time, you need to get hold of your murderous impulses. You're supposed to be keeping her alive."

"And if I can't?"

"Well, then I'll have a dead doppelganger child to deal with," Ric replied. Damon could hear the strain in his voice, and he understood. Since Jenna had died, Alaric had taken responsibility for the Gilbert children. He had been Elena's guardian until she turned eighteen, and he was still Jeremy's.

* * *

It was several days before Elena was released from the hospital. Jeremy, Alaric, and several others had been to see her. Damon hadn't come back, so she suspected that he was back at the house. She'd had several nightmares about what he had done, and she still couldn't wrap her head around why he had driven them into oncoming traffic. He had protected her before, and then all of a sudden, he had attempted to kill them. Not them, she reminded herself, just her. He would have survived the car accident, then been on his way. Perhaps that was why. He saw an out, a way to his freedom, and decided to take it no matter the consequences. She needed to meet with Elijah as soon as possible.

Alaric picked her up on the day that she was released. She was frightened to go back home because there was a chance that Damon might still want to kill her. Instead, she tried to focus on the positives. She was finally out of the hospital and there had been minimal damage despite the severity of the accident. She was still upset about her car, but she could easily afford a new one, so she wasn't worried about that either. She was pulled out of her thoughts when Ric spoke.

"Damon's back at the house. Be careful around him. I can't elaborate, but you need to know he's not responsible for his actions. He didn't mean to hurt you."

"I highly doubt that's true Ric. From the first day we met, he's been threatening to kill me. I'm just shocked that he didn't do so sooner. He really doesn't care about Stefan or Jeremy. If he had succeeded, the Council would have killed them both."

Ric thought about her words. That was the lie that they had told her to force her to accept her situation and take on the elder Salvatore brother. He had needed a way to get her to surrender to his demands, so he had cooked up the story, knowing that if anything did happen to her, Jeremy would still be at risk. He didn't think the Council would actually kill Stefan, though one could never be sure. He was a vampire after all.

"Just try to give him the benefit of the doubt Elena. And be warned, he might come at you again. You need to be prepared."

"Ric, how am I supposed to fight someone that's much faster and stronger than I am?"

He furrowed his brow. Damon had better get himself under control. If not, chances were that Ric was going to wake up to a phone call and a mess that he wouldn't be able to handle. He needed to protect Elena. That was what Damon was supposed to be for, but the moron had gone and gotten himself compelled by an Original vampire.

"You've managed to take him by surprise before. Here," he said and handed her a needle. "In case he tries to hurt you, stick him with this."

"Vervain?" she inquired.

"You bet."

"Why are you letting me go back to a house with a grounded dangerous vampire that wants me dead?"

Ric shrugged, and she found herself wondering if he really had her best interests in mind. Would he really allow her to be harmed though? She was feeling conflicted about the entire situation. He had given her something with which she could protect herself, but only if she could get the upper hand on Damon. This entire situation was making her uneasy, and she was convinced that there was something that he wasn't telling her. Actually, probably more than one something. Why did she feel like her life was completely out of her control?

Elena exited the car and went into her house. She felt apprehension as she walked across the threshold, scared about what was going to happen while she was alone with Damon. Was she stupid? Why didn't she just go somewhere else for tonight? And maybe tomorrow night? And the night after that. Sure, this was her family home, but she no longer felt safe in it. It wasn't her fault that the Council had forced her to bite off more than she could chew.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's this chapter! Hope you enjoyed. One step forward and two steps back for these two, not to unlike how things were in the show. Feel free to let me know your thoughts with a comment!


	11. Agreement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Tuesday everyone! One more chapter before Delena are back together and he tells her everything he knows. Or at least everything he can tell her. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Thank you to all who have followed, favorited, and reviewed. Your support means the world to me!

The house was eerily quiet as she pattered in, and she knew something was wrong. She heard the sound Damon made whenever he blurred, and she was immediately on her guard. She had the needle in her hand behind her back, ready to go. She saw a glint and realized that a butcher knife was making its way towards her chest. Damon might be faster, but that didn't mean that her reflexes were anything to scoff at. She ducked the knife, turned, and stuck him in the neck with the needle before he knew what was going on. It took the entire thing, and once he was out, she dragged his body onto the porch and left him there.

She rubbed vervain on the doorknob and then washed her hands to remove any residue. That would teach him to attempt to murder her in her own house. She wasn't thinking about how easy it would be for him to get back inside, still running high from the adrenaline of having almost been killed twice now. Damn both Ric and her for their lack of common sense! She should have asked to have him drop her off at Caroline's. The refrigerator was stocked with blood. Damon would have enough to last for a bit, and then, if she was feeling generous, she _might_ bring him more, though she was tempted to simply let him desiccate.

Elena let out a frustrated sigh. As much as she wanted to be a coldhearted bitch, she couldn't just leave him outside. He would be out long enough that she could tie him down with vervain ropes and demand answers. She turned and opened the front door, only to find that he was no longer there. Panic swept through her as she hurried out onto the porch and looked around. Everything was completely silent. She entered the house and searched every single room until she determined that he was nowhere to be found. He must have woken up and left. She huffed and shook her head. Whatever. One less murderous vampire to deal with. So why was she feeling a tinge of guilt and disappointment?

* * *

Two weeks went by, and the vampire never turned back up. Sometimes she would catch herself looking for him in his room, the kitchen, or in the living room before reminding herself that he was gone. A feeling of loneliness had overtaken the house and she found herself out and about more and more to try to avoid the emptiness. Things had felt much warmer while Damon had been around.

His actions right before he had left still didn't make sense. Up until that point, he had never brought any kind of physical harm to her. He had certainly enjoyed getting on her nerves, but he had never hurt her, so why had he suddenly started trying to kill her? Worse, even though she knew he had made two attempts on her life, a large part of her couldn't help but continue to care for him. It was the reason she had come home after the first attempt.

Now she stood in the middle of the living room looking around, tears coming to her eyes. Damon had never come back, and she felt as if she had been played for a fool. She missed him badly, but there was nothing that she could do. He was gone, and she needed to simply accept that fact. She made her way up the stairs and entered his room, sitting down on the bed. It still smelled like him. She curled up, allowing the tears to fall as she thought about the vampire. How was she supposed to let go of him?

Elena looked up at the window, wishing that he would make an appearance. All she wanted was an explanation as to why he had decided that he no longer wanted to be with her. If he could just give her that, then maybe she could move on from him. She didn't think she would ever know love the way she had with him again, but that no longer mattered. Things between them had been strange, erratic, and unpredictable, and though it had driven her crazy, something about it had been exciting.

* * *

_Elijah would like to meet with you tomorrow._

She had reread the message a few times, surprised that the meeting had been set up so soon. Their first meeting had taken over a month to plan, but it had only been two weeks since then. She wondered if Elijah had heard at all from Damon, but the likelihood of that was low at best. Damon was probably long gone by now, and more than likely had cut ties to anyone in Mystic Falls, except maybe for Ric. She had thought about asking Ric for an update, but she hadn't been able to bring herself to do so. He was hiding things from her and had nearly gotten her killed by bringing her back home. She still hadn't forgiven him for that, even if it was partially her own fault for not thinking it through.

The day and a half before her meeting with Elijah dragged out, and she wished for the time to move quicker so that she could get this done and over with. She had a hard time focusing on anything aside from their impending rendezvous, even though she tried her hardest to throw herself into her work. Distracting herself wasn't working as effectively as she had hoped, and she was relieved when it was finally time to leave and meet with him.

"I see you've come alone," a voice that sounded ancient said from the shadows. Elijah stepped out, dressed in what appeared to be an expensive suit. "I'm glad your pet heeded my warning."

The look on Elena's face told him all he needed to know. His compulsion on Damon had worked, although it appeared that he had failed in his task of killing her. Still, the pain displayed there showed that he had left her, as Elijah had compelled him to do. He felt, dare he think it, guilty and a little sad. Although he knew Elena had to die, she was a nice girl, and he felt bad for being the cause of her pain.

"A good thing he wasn't tethered, or he would be in excruciating pain right now," he told her, trying to play it cool. She winced, and he knew she was thinking about how the tether would be hurting the vampire.

"He tried to kill me and then ran off," Elena whispered. "I had thought… never mind. What matters is that I'm here. I want to make a deal with you for Damon's freedom."

"Even after he abandoned you?" Elijah asked, sounding surprised.

"Yes," she replied softly. It didn't matter that he had left. She loved him, and she would do anything to ensure his freedom. "I want you to keep him safe from humans and anyone else that might come after him. I don't want him to end up being imprisoned by a human again and I don't want him to die. Can you give me that?"

"What would you be willing to give me in exchange?"

" _Anything_."

"Even your life?"

"Yes."

"Good," Elijah said with a nod. "It's your life I require. I will give you one week to say goodbye to your loved ones. At that time, we will rendezvous back here. I will bleed you dry. Make sure you are vervain free and I will ensure that you feel no pain after the initial bite. Do we have a deal?"

"Yes," Elena said with a nod, holding out her hand. Elijah took it and they shook on it.

Elijah returned to the mansion and immediately went to visit Damon. The bear traps had made his wrists bloody and he looked dazed. Klaus must have had some fun with him because there was blood on his chest, though no open wounds. Elijah frowned slightly, looking at the younger vampire and wondering what it was about him that had Elena willing to give up her life.

"I saw Elena today," he said with an unreadable expression. "She is willing to die to give you your freedom."

"N-No," he said weakly.

"She will die within the week. I'm going to release you. You should see her before I kill her."

"Don't d-do this. Pl-please."

"Look at me Damon."

Damon looked up and locked eyes with Elijah. He wanted to sleep after having been drained of so much blood, but he needed to do this for Elena's sake. He had to protect her at all costs. He couldn't allow her to die. He needed to get free, but Elijah's compulsion and his weakened state wouldn't allow for him to break out of his prison. On top of that, the tether felt like it was burning through his insides. For hours earlier he had cried out in pain until it had finally begun to weaken.

"The tether will be gone soon. It was foolish of you to lie to me about it, though I am not surprised. Such a proud youngling. Now," he started, and Damon felt that tug he had the last time Elijah compelled him.

"You will go to Elena and spend her last week with her. You will not speak of her impending death to anyone. Finally, you will apologize for trying to kill her and tell her that you were under another's influence. Go and show her how much you love her."

"You seem reasonable. How about you don't kill her and you can have me?"

"Her death is necessary, Damon. I am truly sorry. She seems very special."

Elijah was careful as he released Damon from the bear traps. He watched the wounds heal and he gave the vampire a gentle smile. Elijah had never had a taste for torture, only using it when he felt it absolutely necessary. He grabbed a glass from the table and held it under Damon's nose. As soon as he smelled it, the veins under his eyes popped and the whites of his eyes turned red. He took the glass in a shaky hand and downed it fast. Elijah handed him a second one, and he felt his strength returning.

Damon paused for a moment. The invisible rope that had gripped him painfully tight suddenly went completely lax. It felt as if it fell off him, and he knew he was free from the tether. He didn't know if that was what Elijah had intended to do, but he could now move about freely. Perhaps it was part of the deal that Elena had struck with him for his freedom.

"Once she is dead, the seal around her house will be removed, and you will be able to leave." Elijah made him make eye contact once more, compelling him. "You will seek me out when she has died so that I can follow through with my end of the deal. I will ensure that you are kept free and safe from humans. Now go. Every moment you spend here is a moment you are missing with her."

Damon knew that Elijah was right. The longer he stayed, the less time he would have to see Elena, and to try to figure out a way out of this. He didn't know how he could keep her from dying, and he needed to come up with a plan. Even if she never wanted to speak to him again after he had tried twice to murder her, he would protect her because she meant that much to him. Her safety was the most important thing to him, he needed to find a loophole. He called Ric as soon as he was far enough away.

"Damon," he heard the other man's voice, and he realized how relieved he was to talk to a friend.

"Ric," he said as the full reality hit him. He wanted to tell him what he knew, but he couldn't. Still, he had to try. "Elijah's going to… This week, he's going to…" he choked on the emotion behind the words. This was exactly why he chose not to care, because when he did, he cared too much.

"I know Damon. Don't forget that the Council has been working with him on this, so I'm well aware of his plan."

Damon felt relief at that. Someone else knew what was going to happen, and so he didn't have to try to find a loophole to tell them after all. On top of it, it was Ric, Elena's former guardian. He cared deeply about Elena and Jeremy, so surely he would find a way to make sure that she didn't die, or at least Damon hoped he would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all for now. Feel free to let me know your thoughts with a review, and until next week, stay awesome!


	12. Revelations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Tuesday, I'm back with another update! Finally, we're getting a few answers as to what Ric and Damon have been up to and why it's been months and Elena's still alive! Thank you to all who have commented, bookmarked, and left kudos. Your support means the world to me!

Ric agreed to meet him at Elena's house and then they hung up. Not only could Ric act as a kind of buffer, but he could fill in the blanks where Damon would be unable to. He didn't want to leave Elena without the most important information of all. As a matter of fact, he didn't want to leave her in general, but it wasn't up to him how this played out. He would give her total control over their interaction because he owed it to her after everything he had done.

Damon was on his way there in his Camaro. He had no clue how Elijah had gotten his car, but he'd decided not to dwell on it too much. Instead he kept his mind on the task at hand, which was getting to Elena. He was still trying to figure out what he was going to say to her once they came face to face. He just hoped that she'd actually be willing to hear him out. He'd put her through so much over the last few months.

Something still didn't make sense to him, and he hoped Ric might be able to clarify. The Council had seriously dragged their heels on killing Elena. They'd had months and months to do so but had instead left her alive and had been depending on vampires to do the deed instead. Wouldn't it have been easier at this point to hire someone to off her than to wait so long for their plans to unfold?

He came upon the house and he felt his stomach drop. He had mentally prepared himself as much as he could to come face to face with her again. Even if he'd had longer, he knew he would never be quite ready to face her, but he hoped she would be willing to hear him out. He looked up as he heard another car pull in, and he felt relieved to see Ric. At least if nothing else, his old friend was here and could talk some sense into her if she tried to vervain or stake Damon… not that the vampire would blame her.

Ric and Damon both made their way onto the porch, with the human in front, ringing the doorbell. Elena was still pissed at him too, but she was less likely to try and kill him than she was Damon. They waited a moment before they heard her making her way to the door. She pulled it back, and the moment she saw them, she slammed it. Damon put his hand between the door and the jamb, making a face as his hand was crushed.

"Elena…"

"Don't Elena me, _Damon_. You disappear for weeks after trying to kill me _twice_ and just expect me to… to…" she faltered as she realized she wasn't even sure why he was here or what this was about. "What do you two jerks want anyways?"

"Elena, would you let us in so we can talk?" Ric tried.

"Why should I?"

"Because," Damon started before Ric could say anything else, "it's important. Please Elena, let us try to explain what's going on, and then when we're done, you can kick us out if you want. Deal?"

"Are you going to try to kill me again?" she asked him suspiciously.

"No, all murder attempts have been put on hold until further notice," he joked before realizing it was probably the wrong thing to say. He started to apologize but stopped as she started laughing.

"All right, come on in you two. Keep in mind that if I have to stake you, I will."

"And what about me?" Ric asked curiously.

"Same goes for you, Alaric. A stake to the heart will just as easily kill a human."

Ric and Damon looked at each other with slight concern before walking over the threshold to enter the Gilbert house. It was exactly as Damon remembered it. The familiar smell of Elena hit Damon's nose and he closed his eyes, breathing in her scent. He'd missed her even more than he'd thought. It took him a moment to realize that she was watching him, looking perplexed. Before he could begin to explain, Ric had already started speaking.

"The first thing you should know is that Damon was being influenced when he tried to hurt you Elena. He loves you."

"Influenced by what?"

"An Original vampire. Elijah as a matter of fact," Damon answered. "An Original vampire can compel a vampire to do whatever they want, just like vampires can compel humans."

"Okay, and what about you disappearing?"

"I didn't leave. He took me while I was still unconscious on your porch."

"Why should I believe you?"

"You don't have to believe a word I say, Elena, but I came back, didn't I?"

"I don't even know why you're here."

"We're here to fill you in on the mission we were given," Ric stated. "I know you've been looking to get answers, and we can finally give them to you, but we need you to be open-minded enough to listen. Do you think you can do that?"

She let out a sigh and nodded, brown eyes looking between them both. They had information for her, and she wanted it badly enough that she could put aside the grudge that she'd been planning on holding for the next century.

"First though," Damon said, moving towards her. She backed up, eyes wide as she watched him, afraid of what he might do. Her back hit a wall and she watched him, breath picking up as he lifted her chin and kissed her. After a moment, he pulled away, mouth near her ear, and he breathed the three words she had been dying to hear from him.

"I love you," he said softly. He pulled away, ice blue eyes searching warm browns. Her lips curled up into a smile and she put her forehead against his.

"I love you too, Damon."

The words he had been dying to hear for so long had finally been spoken. He put his arms around her, pulling her to him. Elena was nothing like the woman who had led him on and made him think she cared about him. She liked him exactly as he was despite the many flaws, despite the fact that he had tried to hurt her. Her feelings for him had never faded and he was truly amazed.

"Elena," he said, eyes turning sad. "I know you made a deal. Please don't go through with it. I don't want you to."

"Damon," she said, shaking her head. "I can't leave Elijah high and dry."

"Elena, he's part of the plan to have you killed by the Council," Ric cut in.

"Wait… what!?"

"The Founder's Council wants you dead. If you die, Klaus can't complete the ritual that makes it so he can create hybrids. It's important to them that he not be allowed to do so, no matter who gets hurt. They don't care about you as an individual, just as a doppelganger, a naturally reoccurring clone of another person, at least physically."

"Who's Klaus?" she asked, staring dumbfounded at Ric as the words sunk in. Once she closed her mouth, Damon decided it was his turn to speak again.

"We'll get to that. I owed Ric several favors, so he got hold of me and asked me to take the plunge and become a human's pet. He knew you were the doppelganger, but he didn't know my history with Katherine when he asked. That wasn't a big deal though, you're very different from her, far kinder."

"Okay… So, you bitching about being free was just an act?" Elena asked him.

"Yeah… sorry Elena. It was never supposed to get to the point that it did."

"The Council thought that if they placed Damon with you, he would lose his patience and kill you eventually. Liz Forbes and I convinced them that that would be the case. Elijah was the backup plan if that failed."

"It's been months since Damon was placed with me? Why didn't the Council just look for someone else to do the deed?"

"Because the Council likes to look squeaky clean. They couldn't have anything implicating that they were involved in your death. They could lose funding, especially if it was a child of one of the founding families that they were implicated for."

"So what genius plan did you two come up with then?"

Damon noted that she was talking a little more the way he typically would. Had he had that much of an impact on her personality during their short time together, or was she really just that annoyed with them that she wasn't feeling hospitable right then? She folded her arms as she waited for one of the two men to shoot into an explanation.

"Step one was getting me onto the Council. Step two was getting Damon placed with you in order to protect you. Step three was to get to Elijah Mikaelson before the Council did and make a deal with him to ensure your safety."

"I'm assuming the Council got to him first?"

"No, we did, but he didn't really seem to be open to working with us. So when step three fell apart, the plan ended up hanging in limbo while we tried to find someone even half as connected as he was to keep you safe from harm from either the Council or Klaus."

"Klaus?"

"Yeah," Damon chimed in. "Elijah's brother and big bad werewolf with the capability to become a hybrid if he breaks some curse. Not to mention the ability to create more hybrids. You're somehow the key to all that, which is why the Council wants you dead. And of course, big brother Original doesn't want Klaus to be able to do that, so he's working with the Council."

"This is a lot to take in," she said, rubbing her forehead. "Did you find someone?"

"We did. The plan is solid enough that we think that we can eliminate the threat."

"So, what is it?"

"Esther, the Original Witch and their mother. She's agreed to link them all and kill them."

"There's a small hitch though," Ric butted in. "In vampire lore, it states that all vampires sired are linked to the original who sired the first in their line. Bonnie's looking into a way to unlink them all, and then from there, the plan should be able to move forward."

"What about the deal I made with Elijah?"

"Bonnie's going to have to speed up her research to make sure that you don't have an Original vampire looking for you in a week when you don't show up," Damon said firmly.

"I can't just not show up."

"You're not going, and that's final," Ric stated. Elena huffed and shook her head. She wanted to argue more, to argue harder because she was a good and honorable person, but she knew they weren't going to give into her.

"Are you staying Damon?"

The vampire looked up at her, furrowing his brow.

"Do you want me to stay, Elena?"

"I would feel better if you did."

"Then yeah, I'll stay. Why don't you shoot Bonnie a text and tell her to meet us here."

"You're right, it'll be easier if we all work together," Elena said with a nod.

"Actually, I was just thinking I could use a snack," he replied with a smirk.

"Don't kill the witch who's trying to help us, Damon," Ric scolded.

"I was joking. You know, haha, very funny?" He gave an exasperated sigh. "I think it might be a good idea for Bonnie to stay here until the threat is eliminated."

"Even if we get rid of Klaus, what about the Council?" Elena asked.

"That's an issue for another day. If Klaus isn't alive to use you for his ritual, then it solves our foremost problem. Right now, that's our focus. Once Klaus is gone, then we can turn our attention to the Founder's Council."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's the chapter folks! Feel free to let me know your thoughts with a comment, and see everyone on Tuesday!


	13. Acquaintances

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Here's another update as promised. Thank you to all who have commented, bookmarked, and left kudos. As always, your support means the world to me!

Elena's head was spinning with all the new information that had come to light. She didn't know how to take everything that Ric and Damon had told her. The events of the past few months had been so harried, so blurred that she was having trouble getting past the confusion, especially with Damon. Their whatever it was had been so up and down that she had no clue how to take it. Sure, they had just admitted that they had feelings for one another, but he'd also tried to kill her. Twice. She didn't know how she was supposed to feel about the entire situation.

She'd been hesitant to let him stay, but even after two murder attempts, she felt safer knowing that he was there. As long as he kept his promise not to hurt her, she wouldn't stake him, but she had a pencil hidden on her just in case she should need it. He might be faster, but Elena wasn't going to go down with a fight if he decided to attack again.

Ric's assurances that she would be perfectly safe had put her somewhat at ease, so she had decided to let it go to the best of her ability. She could talk with Damon later about what had happened and why he had made attempts on her life. She was still angry with Ric, but even so, she trusted him. It had bothered her that he had insisted on her coming back to her home while a vampire who was trying to kill her was living in it, but she had to let that go now and try to believe what she was being told. If she didn't, then that meant two of the men she loved the most had completely betrayed her and she couldn't handle that possibility. It was overwhelming.

Bonnie didn't show up a moment too soon, and she had a man with her that Elena didn't recognize. However, it appeared Damon did because he was staring. Blue eyes looked wide at the other male, pale with dark hair and dark eyes. It was a person that he had thought dead for years. And he was smirking at Damon, happy to observe that he looked like he'd just seen a ghost.

"Damon," he said in a thick British accent.

"Enzo," Damon greeted back. The last time that he'd seen the vampire, he had been about to barbecue in a fire, but now here he stood in front of his old friend. Both Elena and Bonnie could feel the tension in the room and decided to make their way into the kitchen to give the two some space.

"Enzo?" Elena asked as she looked at Bonnie.

"Apparently you're not the only one that Ric decided needed the protective services of a vampire," Bonnie stated with a laugh. "Enzo was placed with me to make sure that nothing bad happens to me. He's really sweet. It's obvious that he was a bit lonely when we met, and we've gotten really close. As close as Damon and you."

"Bonnie Bennett! Are you telling me that you're dating a vampire?"

Bonnie smiled and nodded at Elena, who giggled at the thought.

"Apparently we both have strange taste in men," Elena stated.

Over in the living room, Damon was still dumbstruck. He had no clue what to do or say to the person that he had left behind all those years ago, a person he had once loved. He'd had to turn his humanity off in order to leave Enzo behind, and now here the other vampire stood before him, watching him with a grin that said he was pleased at the waves he was making. Apparently, Damon's discomfort made him happy.

"I'm sorry Enzo. I can't focus on this right now. Elena's in danger and we need to make sure that she stays safe."

"I know, Mate. I'm here for the same reason that you are. You aren't the only one that Ric called for a favor. The witch is surprisingly good company too."

"Don't let him fool you, he has a thing for her," Ric cut in. Enzo shrugged.

"He's not wrong."

They made their way into the kitchen where the girls were currently chatting and giggling. Great, they were probably up to some evil scheme that involved Damon getting hurt knowing his luck. As soon as they noticed the boys, they stopped talking and laughing, Bonnie immediately becoming serious. She looked between them, then nodded to Ric.

"You mentioned having us stay here for a few days?"

"Yeah, until Esther can figure out how to unlink Klaus from his sire line. I figured you could help with the research."

"Okay. Elena, are you all right with us staying here?"

"Yeah, it's fine with me."

"Do I get a say?" Damon piped up, causing Elena to glare at him.

"No, you don't." At her glare, he pouted a little, then smirked.

"Fine, have it your way."

Damon sat in the bedroom he had stayed in for months, looking around at it. Even though he was back in the house, it somehow felt different. He wondered if it was because he knew that the threat of death was hanging over Elena's head. Sure, he wouldn't win his freedom if they succeeded, but at least Klaus wouldn't have the ability to complete the ritual, and the threat of a hybrid who could make other hybrids would be eliminated.

"Damon?" he heard Elena's voice call from the other side of the door. He lifted his head as she entered the room, blue eyes taking her in. She looked a little nervous, and he wondered what it was that had brought her here. He gave her a half-smile, noting how she kept her distance as if still unsure about where they stood.

"What can I do for you Elena?"

"I was hoping we could… maybe talk a bit… about what happens if I…"

"If you die?"

"Actually, if I don't die was what I was going to say."

"Oh. What about it?"

"Well, if I'm still here, breathing, where does that leave us?"

"I already told you what I had to say, Elena."

"Damon, you tried to kill me. _Twice_."

"Because I was under someone else's influence. I haven't tried to hurt you since I came back, have I?"

"You've been back for an hour."

"The point remains that I haven't made any attempts on your life. Elena, I was compelled. When Elijah released me, he removed the compulsion. I'm back to normal. I know that it might be hard for you to wrap your brain around all of that, but it's the truth. I never wanted to hurt you. I didn't have a choice."

Elena came further into the room, standing in front of him with her arms folded over her chest.

"Like I said, I'm trusting you. However, you break my trust again and you'll get a stake through the heart. Am I clear?"

"Of course."

With that, she turned around to leave, but Damon caught her hand before she could take a step forward. She froze on the spot, not sure what his intentions were. Her free hand was ready to grab the sharpened pencil she'd been keeping with her. He moved so that he was in front of her now, a gentle smile on his lips.

"Even if nothing happens between us, you have my loyalty and my protection. I promise."

She nodded, peeking up at him slowly. She didn't realize how much she had needed to hear that until just now. She had so many doubts running through her head about him, about them, that she hadn't been sure what she was feeling.

"I promise that as soon as this is all over, I'll make sure you get your freedom."

"I don't even care about that. All I want is for you to be safe. Can't you see that?"

"I can, but there's no guarantee that this works, and if it doesn't, then the deal with Elijah is still on. I'll be dead one way or another, and at that point, I would much rather take the person who's probably going to show me mercy."

"I don't get a say in how you negotiate my freedom?"

"It's already been done."

"So undo it!"

She moved forward, pressing her lips against his. Her eyes closed and she threw her arms around his neck. He placed his hands on her waist and deepened it, reveling in the moment. He ran his tongue against her bottom lip, asking for entry. She opened her mouth and he began to explore it. She was so caught up in him that she hadn't noticed there was someone in the doorway. Bonnie had heard the yelling and had come to check on them and make sure everything was all right.

"Don't let me interrupt you," she said with an amused expression. A moment later, a pale hand appeared on her shoulder and Enzo came into view.

"Bonnie, love, perhaps we should leave these two to work out their _differences_ ," he stated with a chuckle. With that, they turned and exited the room.

"Oh, let me know what you want for dinner! It's on us tonight," Bonnie yelled as she walked off.

"Where were we?" Damon asked.

"You were explaining to me why you killed Jeremy," she said, raising a brow at him.

"Part of the plan," Damon stated. "We needed to test the Gilbert ring and see if it worked."

"You killed him without knowing if he would come back?"

"Actually, he drank my blood."

"Then shouldn't he be a vampire?"

"No, the Gilbert ring cancels out all other possible magic when it resurrects someone. We wanted to make sure that the one he had was genuine and that it's what the Founder's Council was after. It's another perk of getting you out of the way. Then they have easier access to your brother."

Elena was trying to wrap her head around this new information. So not only were they trying to kill her, but apparently, they were trying to get access to Jeremy's ring as well. This was all too much and she found herself plopping down on Damon's bed, staring ahead at the doorway. Damon knelt in front of her, grabbing her hands to get her attention. She looked down at him and he could see that she was trying to process all the new information she'd been given over the past hour.

"I know it's a lot, but everything we've done was to ensure that Jeremy and you stay safe. And Jeremy was in on his death, of course."

"I'm going to kill him."

"I already did. It's not that satisfying. Try to put your trust in me Elena. I know my recent actions say otherwise, but I only want what's best for you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's the chapter. Feel free to let me know your thoughts with a comment, and as always, see everyone on Tuesday!


	14. Cooperation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back with another update. This will not be a double update like I was hoping. This chapter was a pain to write honestly, but we're getting close to the end. Thank you to all who have left kudos, comments, or bookmarked. Your support means the world to me!

Damon had asked Elena to put her trust in him and she had, despite her logical mind telling her that it was a bad idea. Her heart overruled her head, causing her to decide that she should allow him a shot, to prove that what he was saying was true. She took precautions just in case he should become a danger to her again, but after two days, he’d given her no reason to question him. He’d been as easygoing and delightful to have around as he had ever been. He was certainly trying to get back into her good graces by doing things like helping her around the house, making her dinner, and trying to be thoughtful of her needs.

It was the third day that they were all staying in the Gilbert house when Alaric came by with the news. Esther had figured out how to unlink the bloodlines so that Klaus could be killed without destroying his sire line. He would be coming over with the details a little bit later. The relief Damon felt that Elena wouldn’t have to keep her deal with Elijah was intense. He’d been so worried about losing her that he hadn’t been able to focus on much else, and it was one of the reasons he’d been trying to be a better houseguest.

That was another thing. The barrier around the Gilbert house had been lifted. Elena hadn’t insisted he be tethered again, which shocked him. He was free to come and go as he pleased now, but he mostly stuck around in order to keep her safe. She didn’t seem to mind his presence, or that of Bonnie and Enzo. If anything, Elena seemed at ease being surrounded by other people.

They’d both been observing the couple that they had deemed “Benzo”, enjoying the way they interacted with one another. Enzo had pulled a few rather cruel pranks on Damon, ones that probably would have gotten a human killed, but he didn’t fault him for it. He couldn’t let his temper get the better of him, especially now, but he also found it difficult to be angry with the person he had left behind to be tortured and experimented on. For that reason, Damon had let it go whenever Enzo did something that was a little over the line. It had yet to stop, though he was hoping it would soon.

Bonnie seemed to be on his side to some degree. She’d tried a couple times to get Enzo to “cool his jets” and lay off a little, but he had told her that Damon deserved whatever he got. Even so, he’d noticed that the pranks had let up a bit and had become less drastic after that. Enzo might not have let up completely, but he seemed to prefer the idea that Bonnie not be mad at him, so he had decided to listen.

There was a knock on the door followed by a got it from Enzo. He blurred to the door and pulled it open, smirking when he saw the human standing on the threshold. “Ric, just in time for lunch,” he stated with a wicked grin, causing the other man to shake his head.

“Drop the act Enzo. You knew I was coming and you know why.”

“Ah, yes. Hoping to clear up this mess with Damon’s girl. Does he really deserve to be happy though?”

“Do you?”

“Touché,” he stated with a chuckle, pulling back the door to let Ric in. Enzo blurred upstairs to gather the others while Ric got set up in the kitchen with the information he had to share with everyone.

It was a few minutes later that they all piled into the kitchen, Damon deciding to busy himself with making them food because he was nervous. If this didn’t work and they killed Klaus, then his entire sire line could die off, and he wasn’t sure if he was part of it, nor did he really feel like finding out. Things were finally starting to go well between Elena and him. This would be a hell of a time for him to keel over and die.

“This is the information Esther gave us,” Ric said, pulling out an ancient looking grimoire. He handed it to Bonnie, figuring that if anyone had a handle on this stuff, it would be the witch of the group.

“Ric, this isn’t an unlinking spell,” Bonnie said as she looked it over. Everyone looked up at her now, each with a quizzical expression. “This spell is to link together a bloodline. I bet she’s planning to link together her children.”

“If she does that and kills Klaus, then all vampires are as good as dead,” Enzo said, looking at Damon. “Including both of us.”

“I’m not going to let that happen,” Bonnie replied.

“And just how do you plan to stop her?”

“I have her grimoire and she’s not getting back. I think I can rework this spell to use it for the original purpose we talked about. We’re not going to lose either of you, or Stefan.”

That was something Damon hadn’t really thought about. He and his brother had both been turned by Katherine, which meant that they had the same sire line. If their sire was killed, Stefan would die too. They might be estranged, but Damon wasn’t about to let that happen. He had always protected his little brother, and this time was no different.

“How long will it take you to make the new spell?”

“A day at the most. I need you to be patient though, I’m going to need full concentration.”

Damon continued to busy himself with lunch, especially after the news that they had just received. He wasn’t sure how to process it, so right now, he wasn’t. He didn’t let himself think of the possibility of death, preferring that it be a nonfactor. He wanted to trust that Bonnie would keep her word, but there was a part of him that worried that she was lying. It was a witch’s job to keep the balance of nature and vampires upset that balance. Nothing was supposed to be able to live forever.

Ric, Enzo, and Elena gathered in the living room and talked quietly amongst themselves while Bonnie sat at the table in the kitchen, writing down everything she could find in a notebook. She wanted to make sure that she was thorough. One wrong move and it would end Damon and Enzo. The thought scared her, and she hated that their lives were in her hands, though she supposed better hers than someone else’s. Still, the pressure on her to make this happen almost felt too great a burden.

“What if the magic’s too much?” Damon asked her quietly, causing her to jump and then look up at him.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean I’ve seen witches kill themselves from overuse of magic. What if it’s too much?”

“It won’t be. I’m a lot stronger than most people give me credit for.”

“Bonnie, you’re Elena’s best friend. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

“Aw, I didn’t know you cared. Look Damon, even if I do die, it’s me or all of you. I would rather it only be one of us than the entire group. Wouldn’t you?”

“You’re right, but-“

“No buts about it. It’s settled. I’ll be fine, you have nothing to worry about.”

He was going to say something else but closed his mouth and shook his head instead. It was obvious that he was worried about this, but he knew that she would make her own choice no matter what he said. The best he could hope for was that she was right, she knew what she was doing, and that she would be fine.

Once he was done making food, he called the others back into the kitchen. Bonnie closed the grimoire and rubbed her temples, needing a break from working on the spell. Elena sat to her left while Enzo sat on her right side, grabbing her hand. He’d heard the conversation that she’d had with Damon and while he believed that Bonnie was more than capable, it didn’t mean he wasn’t worried.

They were all quiet as they ate, thinking about what was to come next. If Bonnie succeeded in creating a new spell, they would still have to find a way to subdue Esther so that she couldn’t go through with whatever scheme she was hatching. On top of that, there was always the chance that it wouldn’t work and killing Klaus might kill all of them. Then there was the fact that if the magic proved to be too great, it might kill Bonnie. All these factors were running through everyone’s heads and they consumed their meal mostly in silence as the gravity of the situation hit them all.

After lunch, Bonnie and Enzo headed upstairs to have the ‘if things go wrong’ conversation. Damon had decided to listen in and see what the two had to say. Things had turned heated fast as they argued about the possibility of either of them dying. Two stubborn people whose fate hung in the balance, he thought to himself, not unlike Elena and him. Should Bonnie succeed, she might be the only casualty. Should she fail, then there was a chance that they would all become casualties. The thought was terrifying.

They both came back down about an hour later and he could tell by their faces that they hadn’t made much progress. Bonnie was trying to convince Enzo she was the witch for the job while Enzo tried to insist that they bring in someone else. The problem with that plan was that there was no one else that Bonnie trusted. Frankly, Damon agreed with her. The more people that came into play, the more of a risk they were taking.

She situated herself back at the table and began to work once again on creating a spell that would unlink the sire line. Enzo seemed to want to storm off, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t go too far from Bonnie, which meant that he was stuck in the house. Instead of leaving, he had situated himself in the living room, letting out a huff. That had Damon joining him, figuring that if nothing else, he could offer his old friend some comfort.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's the chapter! Feel free to let me know your thoughts with a comment, and as always, thank you for reading!


	15. NOTE

This story is officially on a temporary hiatus. It will last the rest of October and will come back on November 3rd! I haven't had a chance to give the chapters that need to be written the attention I want to, and this will allow me to do so and make sure the story is complete. We only have a few chapters left, and I will be taking this hiatus to complete them. Thank you for your patience everyone! 


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